Yesterday, President Trump made the consumer-friendly and sensible move to roll back the untenable Biden-era fuel-economy standards. It was, of course, a cynical ploy by the government to make gas-powered vehicles cost-prohibitive for Americans and push those who could afford electric vehicles into them. Of course, Tesla was doing that before the Left started torching them to protest Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
It's a move the President says will make new vehicles less expensive for Americans, and put Americans behind the wheel of cars they actually want to drive.
That's only a problem if you're a Democrat working at the New York Times, who suddenly finds an administration throwing the "weight of the federal government" behind something to be deeply offensive.
Breaking News: President Trump threw the weight of the federal government behind vehicles that burn gasoline rather than electric cars, gutting one of the country’s most significant efforts to address climate change. https://t.co/0eVJtCp9WZ
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 3, 2025
Electric vehicles (EVs) not only require fossil fuels to manufacture and charge, but the components also do environmental damage. According to The Examination, the chemicals used in lithium-ion batteries that power EVs "pose tricky environmental problems." Some of the companies behind those chemicals "stand accused of misleading regulators, hiding information and contaminating communities while making similar, related products."
There's also the environmental damage done by mining the minerals needed for the batteries, as well as the child labor and abhorrent working conditions of some of those mining operations. I suppose the environmentalist Left has no qualms about cracking some eggs to make that green omelette.
Research also shows that 56 percent of EVs still lose money over the long run, and that EVs cause more pollution than their gas-powered counterparts. Proponents argue driving an EV will save you money in the long run, but research also shows the cost of operating an EV translates into gas prices of roughly $17.33 a gallon. That doesn't even take into account the cost of retrofitting a house to manage the electricity demands, and what about people who live in apartments? I live in a manufactured home, sans garage, and I am prohibited from putting an EV charger on the lot I rent.
As I write this, it's a balmy 16 degrees here in Wisconsin. Cold weather significantly reduces the battery life of an EV and limits driving range. When the battery dies, you have no way to heat your vehicle if you're, say, stuck in traffic in a blizzard. Of course, the lithium-ion battery could catch fire, and that would keep you warm for days, because they burn long and hot (and sometimes fire departments don't know how to manage them).
What's the carbon footprint of a burning Tesla again?
CNN also chimed in, claiming "the rest of the world" is moving towards EVs and "efficient machines."
CNN says Trump's fuel economy based on fossil fuel will set back Americans.
— DeVory Darkins (@devorydarkins) December 4, 2025
"You know humanity has always moved toward the most efficient machine available at the time. And the rest of the world is doing this. This is all politics coming out of the White House, and the… pic.twitter.com/A9Am4em7AJ
That, of course, isn't true. Places like India and China — the world's biggest polluters — are doing no such thing. Europe is small enough that trains and short-hop flights make travel easy, and public transportation infrastructure is more practical. Not so in America, where the state of Texas is roughly the same size as the entire country of France.
The Biden administration used the full weight of the government to try to force people into costly, less reliable vehicles that they didn't want. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the transition to EVs was happening whether we wanted it or not (sure, Skippy). Kamala Harris envisioned a world where gas-powered cars were illegal and wanted a mandate that automakers only manufacture electric or hydrogen-powered cars by 2035. At the same time, despite spending billions, the Biden administration failed to install a single electric vehicle charger anywhere in the country.
It's almost like they don't want us to drive, well, anywhere. But I digress.
People move towards the machines that work, that get them from Point A to Point B safely and affordably. If it happens to be the most efficient, that's great. But it has to work, first and foremost. Even the state of Maryland, hardly MAGA country, quietly pulled the plug on its EV mandate earlier this year, admitting it's unsustainable and unrealistic. Auto worker unions also opposed EVs, citing job losses and other economic concerns.
I notice the NYT and CNN didn't whine about that.