Donald Trump mocked electric cars as inefficient and “ridiculous” in a stumps speech with electric-car proponent South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster standing behind him. The Republican governor invited the former president to the state capitol on Saturday for an event showcasing Trump’s South Carolina leadership team. It was the second campaign event.
“They want electric cars mandated. While McMaster, who endorses the 2024 election campaign, stood behind him, Trump spoke of Democrats. But the Associated Press domestic politics As reporter Meg Kinnard pointed out in a tweet, McMaster signed an executive order just a few months ago to attract electric-vehicle-related businesses to the state.
“What do you do? Everybody’s sitting on the highway. We’re all looking for a little plug-in. My car just stopped. We’ve been driving for 1 hour and 51 minutes.” It’s ridiculous,” Trump sneered. At this point McMaster started laughing.
But this had to be an awkward moment for the governor, who has thrown support and political power behind electric vehicles in recent years. In October, he signed an executive order prioritizing the hiring of electric-vehicle companies and establishing vocational training programs. He also created his working group to plan EV infrastructure. In 2021, South Carolina won his $155 million contract to build neighborhood delivery vehicles for the Oshkosh Defense and US Postal Service. BMW is also investing his $1.7 billion to boost his EV manufacturing capacity in South Carolina.
“As the industry continues to transition to electric vehicles, South Carolina will follow suit. “On top of these investments, there will be high-paying jobs that our employees are ready to take on.”
But McMaster said nothing about EV when Trump invited him to speak at the podium on Saturday. “We will re-elect Trump and see an explosion of freedom and prosperity like we’ve never seen before.”