Trump says he ended Biden electric vehicle rule, updated fuel economy standards

President Trump announced Saturday he approved new fuel economy standards that eliminate an electric vehicle (EV) mandate introduced under the Biden administration.

The 2024 EV mandate aimed to facilitate the transition from gas-powered to EVs by setting new pollution standards for automakers’ vehicle fleets, which were intentionally difficult to meet without introducing new electric or low-carbon models. Trump celebrated its elimination in a Truth Social post as a “BIG DAY FOR AMERICAN AUTO WORKERS AND CAR BUYERS!”

“These new Standards will take the waste out of building cars in America,” the president wrote.

“That means LOWER PRICES, saving families thousands on a new, beautiful, and safe car — Far better than the Environmental Monsters that we were building heretofore,” he continued. “Every Manufacturer, from General Motors to Ford to Stellantis, has called me wanting to build here, and now they can!”

The Trump administration has targeted several Biden-era initiatives directed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel use.

His announcement comes less than six weeks ahead of the midterm elections, in which Republicans are fighting to retain control of Congress amid concerns among voters about rising fuel prices — as well as other living costs — under the Trump administration.

The Sierra Club criticized the president’s decision to roll back these requirements, arguing it will make transportation more expensive for Americans.

Katherine García, the director of the Sierra Club’s “Clean Transportation for All” campaign, vowed to “fight this senseless rollback every step of the way” in a Saturday statement .

“Families already cannot afford the basics, and now Donald Trump wants to make driving more expensive too,” García said.

“Less fuel-efficient cars mean more gas burned, spending more at the pump, and dirtier air in our communities,” she continued. “Americans need relief from high costs, but instead Trump is giving automakers a free pass on pollution and handing families the bill – at the pump and with their health.”

Former Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg similarly slammed the president’s decision to remove these EV standards.

“U.S. manufacturing jobs are down under Trump, including in the auto industry. His strategy failed, and so will this,” he wrote on social media . “Lowering standards will accelerate what he has already been doing: handing the clean tech future to China and forcing Americans to pay more at the pump.”