Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is considering a possible appointment of Tesla CEO Elon Musk to his cabinet or as an advisor, while also questioning tax credits for electric cars.
“He’s a very smart guy. I would definitely do it if he did it. He’s a brilliant guy,” Trump said in an interview with Reuters on Monday when asked whether he would consider appointing Musk to an advisory role or a cabinet post. Musk publicly endorsed Trump as a US presidential candidate last month. Tesla did not initially respond to a request for comment.
At the same time, Trump announced that if he were re-elected, he would consider abolishing the $7,500 tax credit for the purchase of electric cars, which would also affect Tesla. “Tax credits and incentives are generally not a very good thing,” said the former president.
Trump said that while he is a “big fan of electric cars,” he also supports gasoline and hybrid vehicles. However, he sees a “much smaller market” for electric vehicles due to cost and range issues. Trump also plans to reverse the regulations introduced by the administration of US President Joe Biden to promote the production of electric and hybrid vehicles.
