President Donald Trump isn't backing down from his criticism of Joe Biden's electric vehicle policies. Speaking Tuesday at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump declared he's ended what he calls the "war on internal combustion engines."

Taking Aim at Fuel Economy Rules

"I terminated the insane EV mandate and ended the war on internal combustion engines," Trump told the audience. He added that he "permanently stopped Joe Biden's ridiculous CAFE standards," referring to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations that dictate how efficiently automakers' vehicle fleets must perform.

Trump's beef with these standards? He argues they make it "impossible" to manufacture vehicles "affordably," characterizing them as environmental requirements that are "impossible to meet."

Rollback Benefits Legacy Automakers

Trump announced his administration's CAFE rollback late last year, positioning the move as a win for both affordability and safety in the auto industry.

The policy shift could provide relief to legacy manufacturers like General Motors Co. (GM), Ford Motor Co. (F), and Stellantis NV (STLA). Both GM and Ford have already announced they're scaling back their electric vehicle efforts.

Transport Secretary Sean Duffy and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) have praised the rollback. Duffy previously accused Biden-era Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg of allowing vehicle inflation to spiral out of control through a "backdoor EV mandate" during Biden's tenure.