Trump Joins War On Cars, Tells Mary Barra 'I'm Not Sure I Want To Get Hit By One Of Your Silverados'
A lot of people are really mean to President Trump because of all the terrible things he's said and done, but if you think about it, those people don't give him enough credit. Sure, he may be deep in the oil and gas industry's pocket, but his foreign policy has actually been very pro-EV. He's also voiced his support for ending the infamous chicken tax, added a pro-micromobility Transportation Secretary, and at his latest rally in Michigan, he joined the War on Cars on the side of the people who don't want to get splattered by big, dangerous trucks.
Trump's big announcement came after General Motors CEO Mary Barra introduced him to the crowd at GM's Milford Proving Ground. Seemingly in reference to the Chevrolet Bolt that he'd seen earlier in the day, Trump said, "Your company, Mary, if you want. I mean, you have the choice. It's a tiny, little, beautiful car. I'm not sure I'd want to get hit by one of your Silverados, OK? Or one of your Cadillacs. But you'll make 'em as safe as possible, right? You'll put a cocoon. You'll put a little cocoon around 'em. See, I would've been a wonderful automobile designer."
David Zipper probably would have worded a few things differently, but Trump's exactly right. The tall hoods and upright grilles that we see on so many of the heaviest vehicles you can buy, including the Escalade and Silverado, are much more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. And even if you never leave your car, big trucks and SUVs also cause more fatal crashes. Once Trump finishes work on his plan to begin importing kei cars, it's only a matter of time before he turns the U.S. into a vibrant, walkable urbanist utopia.
A very normal Trump rally
Of course, Trump saying the Silverado is dangerous isn't the biggest PR problem he's cause the Big Three. Not by a long shot. But if you were worried that was the weirdest thing Trump said at the Milford rally, don't be. While he nailed the pronunciation of "Silverado" when he really needed it to count, the first time around, he wasn't so lucky. I'm not sure why he jerked his whole body there, either, but maybe there was a good reason. For all we know, he could've been spooked by the spirit of Mitch McConnell.
Trump: "Chevy Ss– well, I hear it's good — Silverado. Really hot, right? It's gonna be hotter after today."
Trump saying the Silverado is "gonna be hotter after today" also sounds like more of a threat after hearing his line about how dangerous it is in a crash, but we don't have time for that now. No, we need to get to what he said about Reagan. As Trump put it in a clip you can watch here, "The late, great Ronald Reagan, who in all fairness, who I liked. But he did allow our cars to disappear into Japan and other locations. We cannot do it. We love him, but on trade, Trump is much better. Much better."
Trump: "It's amazing what tariffs will do for General Motors, and what the election has done ... the rest of the world doesn't love me, but that's ok"
Those were certainly words that formed phrases. What he actually meant to say, though, is anybody's guess. It probably started as a thought about Reagan's free trade policies, but even Trump's most dedicated intellectual zambonis are going to have a hard time explaining why, "He did allow our cars to disappear into Japan and other locations," makes sense. But you know how it goes with the elderly. One minute they're making sense, and the next they're rambling about something no one can understand. What are you going to do, not let someone that old be president?