— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 20, 2024 Trump was also non-specific on the issue of electric vehicle tax credits. The U.S. government currently offers a $7,500 tax discount to anyone buying an electric vehicle. It’s meant to incentivize people to buy electric instead of carbon-spewing gas-powered cars which are a significant contributing factor in global warming. When asked if he’d end the credit, Trump waffled. “We’re looking at that. That’s a big thing. But you know tax credits and tax incentives are not generally a very good thing,” he said. The Trump-era tax cuts were full of tax incentives and credits. Famously, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act doubled the child tax credit. “I am not making any final decisions on it,” Trump said on the EV tax credit. “I’m a big fan of electric cars but I’m a fan of gasoline-propelled cars and also hybrids. And whatever else happens to come along. And you can’t mandate that you can only buy an electric car.” Musk’s posts on X focused on the imaginary cabinet position and not the tax credits, a consumer incentive Tesla desperately needs. The company has posted two straight quarters of losses. Tesla’s brand, thanks in part to Musk’s antics, is poisoned. Parking lots full of Teslas sit unsold. Musk’s empire is one built on tax incentives and government subsidies. Yet Musk continues to play ideological footsie with the American right, a group of people who obviously do not have the same long-term interests as he does. During their interview on X, Musk pushed Trump on sustainability and the environment. Trump pushed the conversation, instead, toward nuclear war. “The one thing I don’t understand is that people talk about global warming, or they talk about climate change, but they never talk about nuclear warming,” Trump said, ignoring Musk’s very real concerns about our warming planet.