Last night, in a rambling two-hour “conversation” on X, Elon Musk proved to Donald Trump that climate change is real and maybe electric cars aren’t As bad as the former president said. The result is a once-lauded environmentalist’s futile attempt to whitewash the former president’s disastrous record on climate change.
After the failed assassination attempt, Musk expressed support for Trump and is funding a super PAC to support his election, as he seeks to do so by offering his support for oil and gas drilling and minimizing the threats posed by climate change Appease Trump. But he’s also trying to win over Trump by providing more pro-MAGA publicity for his electric cars.
More support for MAGA’s promotion of Musk’s electric cars
“When you see our cars, we don’t believe that environmentalism, caring about the environment, should mean you have to suffer,” Musk said. “So, we make sure our cars are beautiful, fast, sexy, and cool.”
It’s unclear whether Trump can be persuaded. Of course, the former president has been more positive about electric vehicles since Musk’s endorsement, but he continues to make the same arguments about electric vehicles: They take too long to charge, don’t go as far, and cost auto workers. their work. In Trump’s own words, his record on the environment is a disaster.
During their conversation, Trump repeated many of the same attacks while also praising Musk for building a car that many people want to buy. (To be sure, Tesla’s sales have been declining.)
“You really made a great product,” Trump told Musk during the two-hour love fest. “I have to be honest, that doesn’t mean everyone should have an electric car.”
On the campaign trail, Trump falsely accused President Joe Biden of making it illegal to buy gasoline-powered cars and trying to force all Americans to switch to electric vehicles. In fact, the EPA’s new fuel economy standards will require automakers to introduce less polluting vehicles, many of which will be battery-powered, but will never mandate the sale of pure electric vehicles. The government has also introduced consumer incentives to help reduce the cost of electric vehicles.
Trump to Musk: ‘You really made a great product’
But if anyone has changed his stance on electric vehicles and climate change, it’s Musk. The Tesla chief executive appeared to be trying to get Trump and his supporters behind his company’s mission to usher in a more sustainable future, while downplaying its urgency.
“I don’t think we should denigrate the oil and gas industry and the people who work hard in these industries to provide the necessary energy to support the economy,” Musk said.
Trump’s campaign received millions of dollars from the oil and gas industry. Many of their chief executives are banking on Trump undoing Biden’s environmental policies if he wins in November.
He later claimed that the Earth could transition to a sustainable energy economy in “50 or 100 years” – despite warnings from the scientific community that humanity was rapidly reaching climate tipping points.
Trump argued that electric vehicles are not a perfect solution because until the grid transitions to clean energy, the electricity needed to charge the batteries will come from fossil fuels.
Trump campaign received millions from oil and gas industry
“Even to build electric vehicles and generate the electricity that electric vehicles need, you know, fossil fuels are what’s really producing the electricity at the power plants,” the former president said. “At this point, you can’t seem to get away from it. “
The electricity used to charge electric vehicles produces pollution, but electric vehicles themselves have no emissions and are widely considered preferable to gasoline-powered vehicles. Many states are moving away from fossil fuel generation and toward more renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
Musk and Trump appear to agree that fighting climate change should not come at the expense of anyone’s personal inconvenience. Musk said we don’t need to “stop farmers from farming,” adding, “People can still eat steaks, they can still drive gas cars.”
Of course, these claims ignore the reality of climate change. Tackling climate change will require huge systemic changes, as well as small changes in individual behavior. Cattle and livestock are huge contributors to climate change, producing methane that is trapped in the atmosphere and contributes to significant warming of the planet. At the same time, cars produce carbon dioxide, another greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. We all need to eat less red meat and drive less to live more sustainable lives.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration’s policies aim to force major industries to shift to less polluting energy sources, whether power plants, automakers or construction. Trump’s record is one of rolling back these measures and inviting major industries to cause more pollution. His Supreme Court picks make decisions that will make it harder for any government to protect the environment in the future.
However, the fact that Musk has piggybacked on Trump’s campaign has raised questions about the former president’s commitment to clean energy. In the interview, Musk gently urged his chosen candidates to support renewable energy sources such as solar energy, but Trump expressed doubts that climate change is the most urgent threat.
“One thing I don’t understand is that people talk about global warming, or they talk about climate change, but they never talk about nuclear warming,” Trump said, changing the subject. It’s time to move on.
