Former President Donald Trump skipped the second GOP primary debate to address auto workers and called out President Joe Biden’s electric vehicle mandate.
Trump: "There's no such thing as a fair transition to the end of your way of life … For auto workers Biden's forced transition is a transition to hell." pic.twitter.com/gwL1SMaFm8
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) September 28, 2023
During his speech, Trump said, “Under Biden’s mandate, the entire car industry will be packed up and shipped to China.”
He addressed China’s stronghold over the electric vehicle industry and expressed concerns about what Biden’s policy will do to the American auto industry.
He decried claims from Biden and the leaders of the United Auto Workers that switching the nation to an electric vehicle transportation system would be “a fair transition” and stated “American labor will be under siege.”
“There’s no such thing as a fair transition to the end of your way of life,” Trump went on.
He then declared, “For the autoworkers, Biden’s forced transition is a transition to hell.”
Trump described the new policy as a “transition to unemployment and to inflation without end.”
He expressed support for the striking workers and said, “I truly hope you get a fair deal for yourselves and your families.”
“If your union leaders will not demand that crooked Joe repeal his electric vehicle mandate immediately, then it doesn’t matter what hourly wage you get,” he added.
Then Trump predicted that if Biden’s electric vehicle mandate stands, “In two to three years, you will not have one job in this state.”
According to the New York Times, China produces 75% of lithium-ion batteries, a main component of electric vehicles.
The report also detailed evidence that China is using forced slave labor to mine the materials to make these batteries, raising additional ethical concerns for all products that use lithium-ion batteries.
The U.S. Department of State has recorded multiple human rights violations in China.
Furthermore, earlier this year, NPR reported on slave labor being used to mine Cobalt for these batteries in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Despite these concerns, China remains the top producer of electric vehicles, according to the MIT Technology Review