Don’t Tell Elon: Trump Doesn’t Want Autonomous Cars Operating on US Roads

Elon Musk’s plan for robotaxis might face resistance from the man he’s backing for president: Donald Trump. Hours before Tesla introduced its Cybercabs, Trump told an audience in Detroit he planned on stopping autonomous vehicles from hitting the road in the US. 

“Does anybody like an autonomous vehicle?” Trump asked during a speech on his economic agenda. “You know what that is, right? When you see a car driving alone. Some people do, I don’t know. It’s a little concerning to me, but the autonomous vehicles we’re going to stop from operating on American roads.”

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To be fair, Trump may have been referencing self-driving cars from China rather than US-made autonomous vehicles. Earlier in his speech, which the NYT called “rambling,” Trump said he’s focused on keeping “Chinese cars out of America” to help preserve the US auto industry.

“I will stop Chinese and other countries’…produced automobiles and autonomous vehicles,” he said before mentioning his efforts to block such cars from running on US roads. Chinese cars “are destroying Europe,” he later added. “This is not just a matter of economic security; it’s a matter of national security.”

Last month, the Biden administration proposed a ban on connected vehicle software made by China and Russia for the 2027 model year and a hardware ban starting with 2030 model year vehicles. The concern is that vehicle connectivity systems and autonomous driving systems will collect data on drivers and passengers, as well as American infrastructure.

Earlier this year, the White House also raised tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

Still, Trump’s comment about his concerns with autonomous cars underscores potential roadblocks Musk might face if Trump is re-elected in November. Trump previously signaled he’ll try to cancel Biden administration efforts to promote EVs and more efficient vehicles in the US. 

For example, in his speech on Thursday and in previous remarks, Trump falsely claimed the federal government is forcing the auto industry to produce only EV vehicles—“a mandate” he plans to end if he returns to the White House. 

Trump and his VP pick, Sen. JD Vance, have also said they will repeal the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, which the Biden administration implemented as part of the Inflation Reduction Act to make it more affordable for consumers to purchase them.

Trump has said he plans to appoint Musk to run a “government efficiency commission” if re-elected. That could be a conflict of interest, given the numerous government contracts that have been awarded to Musk’s companies. He’s also been publicly battling with the FAA and FCC over Starlink satellite deployment and Hurricane Helen response, among other things.

In his speech on Thursday, Trump said he still supports the US auto industry building electric cars alongside hybrids and gasoline-powered cars, but he isn’t a fan of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). “They keep talking about hydrogen. The problem is when it has a problem, it blows up violently,” Trump said.

Currently, all of the hydrogen refueling stations in the US are located in California. According to the California Air Resources Board: “Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are safe. There has not been a single case of an FCEV accident because of leaking hydrogen. Unlike conventional fuels, hydrogen is non-toxic, it disperses quickly when released into the air, has lower risk of secondary fire, and is less explosive.”