Trump signs legislation to override Calif. EV mandate, discusses separate new ban

CORTE MADERA, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 12: An EV sits parked at an electric vehicle charging station on June 12, 2025 in Corte Madera, California.

President Donald Trump has signed legislation to end California’s electric vehicle (EV) mandate, while also announcing plans for a new ban on windmills. 

On Thursday, President Trump addressed the issue of electric vehicles, pledging to “officially rescue the U.S. auto industry from destruction” by scrapping California’s plan to make nearly all new vehicles electric by 2035.

The GOP president highlighted a trio of bills that he signed in the White House East Room, gleefully expressing that they would “kill the California [EV] mandates forever.”

“You can’t do anything about it, they can’t take us to court, they can’t do any of the things they can do with executive orders, and it’s permanent,” he declared. “They said it couldn’t be done… They’d pass these crazy rules in California and 17 states would go by them. Automakers wouldn’t know what to do because they’re really building cars for two countries, when you have 17 states.”

California’s capital, Sacramento, had ordered that 100% of its new cars in the state be “zero-emission vehicles” by 2035 — with automakers required to sell at least 80% EVs while allowing to fill the rest of their inventory with certified plug-in hybrids.

According to state government figures, only 23% of new automobiles sold in California were “zero emissions” electric or hybrid models in the first quarter of 2025, which was higher than the national market share.

“Sales of electric cars in the state have undergone a bumpy road. About 23% of all new cars sold in California were zero emissions during the first three months of this year, compared to 25% for all of 2024 and 2023, mostly because of a drop in Tesla sales,” a 2025 report by CalMatters claimed.

Trump went on to highlight additional priorities in his remarks as well, such as promoting nuclear power while criticizing windmills, presumably including wind turbines as well, which he maintained his administration would reduce. 

Despite some distinction, Trump has historically referred to modern wind turbines as windmills, interchangeably, in public speeches, interviews, and debates.

“If you have a windmill anywhere near your house, congratulations—your house just went down 75% in value. And they say the noise causes cancer,” he said at the National Republican Congressional Committee Dinner on April 2, 2019.

He continued.

“We’re not going to let windmills get built because we’re not going to destroy our country any further than it’s already been destroyed,” Trump said. “You go and look at these beautiful plains and valleys and they’re loaded up with this garbage that gets worse and worse looking with time — starts when the rust comes, 4.5 years … So we’re not going to approve windmills unless something happens that’s an emergency. I guess it could happen, but we’re not doing any of them,” he continued.

“If you go to Palm Springs, California, take a look,” the president ranted. “You go into this beautiful community and before it’s like you’re riding through a junkyard. Windmills all over the place — tall ones, short ones, dead ones — they’re all dead, some are hanging on by a thread. They never take them down. They just leave them there and they start to rust. It’s one of the greatest scams.”

Wind turbines can pose a threat to birds, bats, and even whales, according to Trump, USGS research ecologist Dr. Paul Cryan, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Albert Manville. Certain locations with migratory paths or sensitive ecosystems can see significant wildlife disruption.

The construction phase, especially pile driving (hammering turbine foundations into the seabed), produces loud underwater noises.

Trump asserted in 2013 that this can disturb and even end up killing whales, as it purportedly interferes with their communication, navigation, and feeding behaviors. Other groups have also similarly pointed to whales washing up on shore as the result of windmills.

However, those who disagree with Trump, such as scientists Lesley Thorne and Dave Wiley, claimed in a 2013 study that the primary causes of whale strandings on the U.S. East Coast was entanglement in fishing gear, not offshore wind development. Those in favor of wind turbines, such as climate activists, also argue that they are a “clean energy source” that “reduces the carbon footprint.”

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts