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President Donald Trump signed a trio of congressional resolutions ending California's restrictive rules for diesel engines and mandates on elective vehicle sales, with Trump celebrating that his signature "will kill the California mandates forever."
"Under the previous administration, the federal government gave left-wing radicals in California dictatorial powers to control the future of the entire car industry all over the country, all over the world, actually," Trump said Thursday from the White House ahead of singing the resolutions.
"They approved Governor Gavin 'Newscum's' ridiculous plan to impose a 100% ban on all new gas-powered cars within a very short period of time," he said. "Think of this, you can't buy any other car except an electric powered car, and in California they have blackouts and brownouts. They don't have enough electricity right now."
The resolutions work to end California's plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035, including one ending a waiver issued by the Biden-era EPA that mandated at least 80% of vehicles be electric vehicles in California by 2035, as well as another resolution ending the Biden-era EPA's approval of a plan to increase the number of zero-emission heavy-duty trucks in California, and another on California's low-nitrogen oxide regulations for heavy-duty vehicles, including off-road vehicles.
Trump was joined Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, EPA chief Lee Zeldin, whom Trump called the "most important man in the room," and other Republicans and administration leaders during the bill-signing event.
"They can't take us to court," Trump said, explaining the resolutions of disapproval were signed under the Congressional Review Act and not as executive orders. "They can't do any of the things they can do with the executive orders, and it's permanent. I'll sign three pieces of legislation that will kill the California mandates forever, and they're never coming back."
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who currently finds himself repeatedly trading barbs with Trump as anti-ICE riots break out in his state, has long championed the left-wing state's EV mandates and plans, characterizing California as leading the U.S. into a future that does not rely on oil and gas.
"This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change," Newsom said back in 2020 as he unveiled an executive order requiring sales of all new passenger vehicles to be zero-emission by 2035.
"For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe," he added. "Californians shouldn’t have to worry if our cars are giving our kids asthma. Our cars shouldn’t make wildfires worse — and create more days filled with smoky air. Cars shouldn’t melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines."
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Trump also took a shot at Newsom during the event over the ongoing riots and violence playing out in Los Angeles since Friday, when federal law enforcement officials converged on the city for immigration raid.
"If I didn't bring the military in, Los Angeles would be burning down right now. It'd be burning just like his damn houses burned down because you didn't have the water that he should have had it," Trump said, also referring to the wildfires that rocked southern California in January.
Trump explained that his bill signing event was held not only due to California's massive size, but also die to how 17 other states have fallen in line with California's rules restricting the car industry with EV mandates and environmental rules.
"Because of the size of California's population and the fact that 17 other states follow California, that's the problem," he said. "Seventeen other states follow California. They have the most ridiculous laws I've ever seen. For a lot of things, this is just cars … and trucks. And, they have a lot of them for other things. But we have what's called the California Car standards."
Trump added that he is protecting American jobs with the bill signing, as China has been "very strong on electric" vehicles and auto jobs likely would have been "shipped to China."
"All of the auto jobs would be shipped to China because they're very strong on electric, and it lives off an estimated 200,000 American autoworkers would be destroyed," he said. "It's one of the reasons I did so well with the United Auto Workers, and now I'm really doing well with them. I did phenomenally with them."
Industry leaders celebrated the bill signing with American Trucking Association President and CEO Chris Spear remarking that "This is not the United States of California."
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"Today, common sense prevailed. We thank President Trump, EPA Administrator Zeldin, and congressional leadership for taking decisive action to end crippling, detached-from-reality rulemakings that would have imposed devastating economic consequences on American businesses and families," Spear said in comment provided to Fox News Digital. "This is not the United States of California. With the stroke of his pen, President Trump is restoring the certainty that the trucking industry needs to deliver for our nation as we continue to reduce our environmental impact."
While American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers called Trump's resolutions "a major victory" benefiting Americans to energy leaders.
"Today’s historic bill signing is a major victory for American consumers, manufacturers and U.S. energy security," Sommers said. "We thank President Trump and Congress for delivering on their promise to put an end to these extreme mandates and ensure every American can choose the vehicle that’s best for them."
"We appreciate the actions taken by President Trump to sign H.J. Res. 88 into law and help align emissions standards with today’s market realities," General Motors added in statement provided to Fox Digital. "We have long advocated for one national standard that will allow us to stay competitive, continue to invest in U.S. innovation, and offer customer choice across the broadest lineup of gas-powered and electric vehicles,"
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Trump's resolutions follow him signing a bevy of executive orders that aim to "unleash American energy" as part of his 2024 campaign vow to again make the U.S. energy independent, including by revitalizing the coal industry by cutting red tape and regulations, and unleashing oil and gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.
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