Donald Trump delivers damning verdict on electric cars amid Elon Musk links - 'They're too expensive!'

Musk, who this week announced his intention to donate $45million (£34.6million) to the Republican campaign effort every month until the November election, is one of the leading voices in the electric vehicle sphere.

The pair have met on multiple occasions, despite Trump being a vocal detractor of EVs in recent years, saying that they are not suitable for the general public given the additional costs involved in making them widespread for the American public.

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Most recently, when speaking to Bloomberg, the Presidential hopeful said he has "no objection" to electric vehicles, going as far as to say that he has "driven them often".

However, he acknowledged that the United States had fallen too far behind in terms of infrastructure required for electric vehicles.

Trump continued: "The cars don’t go far enough. They’re very, very expensive. They’re also heavy. You know, they’re much heavier," he told Bloomberg.

He also claimed that it would cost $5trillion (£3.85trillion) to create an infrastructure that could cater to a nation filled with electric vehicles.

However, this was debunked by the National Centre for Energy Analytics, which estimates that it would cost between $2.4trillion and $4trillion, or between £1.85trillion and £3trillion.

This would take into account single-family and multi-family chargers, local distribution system upgrades, new transmission lines, substations for public chargers and Level 3 chargers at those stations.

Trump's pick for Vice President, JD Vance, introduced the Drive American Act last September which called for the elimination of over $100billion (£77billion) in existing electric vehicle subsidies.

He proposed that they should be replaced by America First Vehicle Credits to promote petrol and diesel cars and vans made in the United States.

The Republican Senator for Ohio said the Credits would provide up to $7,500 (£5,779) for new petrol or diesel vehicles, including hybrids, depending on the vehicle's payload and seating capacity.

The vehicle must be assembled in the United States with American components and made by "highly paid American workers". It would be available for individuals who earn less than $150,000 (£115,586) or married couples earning less than $300,000 (£231,172).

Trump, who survived an assassination attempt over the weekend in Butler, Pennsylvania, has frequently attacked the Biden administration over its net zero plans and electric vehicle support.

On Christmas Day last year, Trump posted on Truth Social that Jack Smith, the Special Counsel for the US Department of Justice, and the ruling Democratic party, should "rot in hell" for pushing the "green new scam" and "all electric car lunacy".

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He suggested that these things were "destroying" the United States, with the billionaire frequently targeting those pursuing environmentally friendly aims.