Calif. Governor: Trump Destroying U.S. Auto Industry

Sept. 12, 2018—California governor Jerry Brown on Monday accused President Donald Trump of hurting U.S. auto manufacturers by calling for fewer restrictions on mass polluters within the country.

Brown indicated that the Trump administration’s effort to boost U.S. coal producers and weaken fuel-economy standards will ultimately aid countries like China, where businesses are going all-in on electric vehicles. Trump is “building the Chinese auto industry” while simultaneously destroying America’s own, Brown told the Los Angeles Times.

Brown, meanwhile, signed a bill on Monday which instructs California’s energy producers to move toward carbon free-sources by 2045, Business Insider reported. He has typically clashed with Trump on environmental regulations. The California governor opposed Trump’s decision in August to bypass an initiative requiring all U.S. cars and trucks to average more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025.

“The big driver besides California is China,” Brown told the LA Times. “The big saboteur is Donald Trump. He’s trying to subsidize coal and destroy the electric car.”