Former President Trump says in a new campaign video that if he returns to the White House, he would end President Biden’s “Green New Deal atrocities” on his first day, despite the measure never being signed into law.
Trump accused Biden of “waging war” on the U.S. auto industry with his “ridiculous Green New Deal crusade.”
“If Biden’s assault is not stopped, American auto production will be totally dead,” the former president said in the video released Thursday. “That’s why I am going to terminate these Green New Deal atrocities on day one.”
The Green New Deal, a congressional resolution that laid out a framework for tackling climate change, has never been passed by lawmakers. Biden has never officially endorsed it.
Trump, however, uses the term more broadly to describe several Biden administration energy policies, including the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed limits on vehicle greenhouse gas emissions and the Department of Transportation’s increase in fuel economy standards.
The former president also called on the United Auto Workers union, which has so far withheld its endorsement of Biden’s reelection bid, to instead endorse his campaign for the White House, which it has said it will not do.
“I hope United Auto Workers is listening to this because I think you better endorse Trump, because I am going to grow your business, and they are destroying your business,” he said. “They are absolutely destroying your business.”
The powerful union has historically backed Democrats and endorsed Biden in 2020. However, amid the administration’s push for electric vehicles (EVs), workers have expressed concerns that automakers are using the shift to more climate-friendly vehicles to undercut wages.
“The federal government is pouring billions into the electric vehicle transition, with no strings attached and no commitment to workers. The EV transition is at serious risk of becoming a race to the bottom. We want to see national leadership have our back on this before we make any commitments,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a memo earlier this year.
“Another Donald Trump presidency would be a disaster. But our members need to see an alternative that delivers real results. We need to get our members organized behind a pro-worker, pro-climate, and pro-democracy political program that can deliver for the working class,” Fain said.