Dennis Prager Show - How Trump Can Save the Auto Industry AND the Planet!
Aired: 2024-12-31
Duration: 05:04


=== California's Regulatory Battle (05:04) ===

[00:00:00]  Here's how Trump can save America's auto industry and the planet, if you will.
[00:00:04]  He's got to end the regulatory stronghold that exists for car companies.
[00:00:08]  So, for instance, California is attempting to regulate, I just read the story, the fuel economy and emissions independent from the federal government standards.
[00:00:17]  That has to stop.
[00:00:19]  And hopefully the new head of the EPA will do that, and they should pass, the Congress should pass legislation.
[00:00:25]  By the way, hat tip to the Federalists for this.
[00:00:28]  Should pass legislation prohibiting a state from dictating its own fuel economy standards, especially a state like California.
[00:00:37]  I mean, imagine if these big states were able to dictate who wins the presidency.
[00:00:41]  That's why we have the Electoral College.
[00:00:44]  The same applies here, in a sense.
[00:00:46]  It impacts the sales of the entire nation.
[00:00:49]  California's current policy is absolutely unreasonable, so the regulations have to end.
[00:00:54]  You have to start with these CAFE standards.
[00:01:01]  They either have to sell vehicles with internal combustible engines, ICE engines, based upon what consumers want.
[00:01:13]  And if they do so, they pay a hefty fine to the federal government for building ICE vehicles.
[00:01:20]  Or they can spend massive amounts of money for EVs that a few people want.
[00:01:29]  And then just lose money that way.
[00:01:31]  So they're in a no-win situation.
[00:01:33]  So the CAFE standard, that was set in 2015, 35 miles per gallon.
[00:01:38]  That appears to be the sweet spot.
[00:01:39]  I somewhat disagree with that, but I'll go for it for the sake of this argument.
[00:01:44]  The EPA should at least return to the 2015 CAFE standards, setting the mileage at 35 miles per gallon per vehicle.
[00:01:53]  That was, at least the Federalist argues, the sweet spot where you kind of got the best of both.
[00:01:58]  You didn't have to get rid of ICE engines.
[00:02:01]  You just made them more energy, if you will, or fuel efficient.
[00:02:05]  And we were doing fine.
[00:02:06]  But again, this is all about control.
[00:02:08]  China.
[00:02:09]  Getting back to China.
[00:02:10]  China is not a competitor.
[00:02:11]  They're a threat.
[00:02:12]  This is an issue that we have to address.
[00:02:15]  China has taken steps to become dominant in the auto market in Asia, Latin America, and Europe as well.
[00:02:22]  Even the CEO of Ford said that China is an existential threat and their Chinese EV makers are an existential threat to the U.S. auto industry, he says.
[00:02:33]  And by the way, did you guys know that China...
[00:02:39]  Did you know that?
[00:02:40]  Because they're still considered a developing nation.
[00:02:43]  So they even manipulate people involved in the climate accord because they get $300 billion from these nations that are dumb enough to participate in the Paris Climate Accords.
[00:02:58]  So all these nations participate in the Paris Climate Accord.
[00:03:03]  It gets $300 billion from each of these nations since they're a developing nation.
[00:03:08]  They subsidize their car market and artificially lower the prices of cars, and it makes it impossible for America and our allies to compete against China.
[00:03:20]  You talk about suicide.
[00:03:22]  It's the dumbest thing I've ever seen.
[00:03:26]  So, here's what Congress could do, however.
[00:03:28]  They could make it a crime for any U.S. company or individual to share.
[00:03:32]  Oh, that's another thing.
[00:03:33]  They make sure that if any vehicle is sent into China, we have to give up intellectual property rights so that they can steal our research and development.
[00:03:46]  Are you kidding me?
[00:03:47]  So, Congress...
[00:03:49]  They have to make it a crime for any U.S. company or individual to share those intellectual property rights with China.
[00:03:57]  They also, similarly, any foreign entity working with an American company that shares its intellectual property with China should face a fine or a ban from doing business in the U.S. Congress, lastly, should also pass a ban on Chinese sourced and manufactured EVs.
[00:04:16]  This is how we got to, you know, get hip to or defeat China on this front.
[00:04:22]  Competitors.
[00:04:23]  Also need to get hip to the same safety standards.
[00:04:26]  Europe, Japan, and South Korea, they charge, if we're sending cars to Europe, there's a 10% tariff that we have to pay, whereas if Europe sends cars to us, it's a 2.5% tariff.
[00:04:37]  Either we need to get rid of that tariff or there needs to be some reciprocity.
[00:04:42]  And then we need to set universal safety standards with our allies, whether that's Europe, Japan, every single one of them.
[00:04:50]  This makes production go much faster.
[00:04:53]  And it reduces cost for everyone.
[00:04:56]  And every car buyer should know the environmental impact of EVs.
[00:05:01]  And that way, people will start moving away from those things.