Even supporters of Donald Trump may have been taken off-guard by his words earlier this week. While discussing how EV batteries will make boats heavier in a speech in landlocked Iowa, the former president explained, “If I’m sitting down, and the boat’s going down, and I’m on top of a battery, and the water starts flooding in – I’m getting concerned.”
“But then I look 10 yards to my left and there’s a shark over there. So I have a choice of electrocution or shark, you know what I’m gonna take? Electrocution. I will take electrocution every single time. Do we agree?” Trump said, stumbling over the pronunciation of ‘electrocution’ the first time he said it.
While it was an odd comparison to make, some of Trump’s critics also noted it was misleading or at least ill-informed, as gas-powered watercraft also have batteries that provide the electricity to power on-board appliances. Additionally, boaters and swimmers have been seriously injured and even killed from electric shock drowning near boats and docks – and long before the development of EV watercraft.
Trump’s Comments on EVs
Trump’s comments about how he’d rather be electrocuted than eaten by a shark came days after he spoke to voters in Michigan, and rallied against electric cars. In addition to complaining about the limited drive times, and the need to recharge, he highlighted the environmental downsides of the batteries.
“People have no idea how bad this is going to be also for the environment. You know, those batteries when they get rid of them and lots of bad things happen. And when they’re digging it out of the ground to make those batteries, it’s going to be very bad for the environment,’ Trump said.
A fact checker for The New York Times fact-checker called Trump’s claims misleading.
It would appear that Trump’s great fears may be EVs and sharks.
Skarknado!
Trump, who once owned a 281-foot superyacht named the “Trump Princess,” was sold in 1991 when he was digging himself out of debt. According to Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress who claimed to have had an affair with the then-TV host in 2006, Trump was obsessed with sharks.
In a 2011 interview with Touch magazine, Daniels said, “[Trump is] terrified of sharks. He was like, ‘I donate to all these charities and I would never donate to any charity that helps sharks. I hope all the sharks die.”
Though Trump has denied that he had an affair with Daniels, he essentially confirmed the story in 2020 when he said “I’m not a big fan of sharks. I have people calling me up, ‘Sir we have a fund to save the shark. It’s called Save the Shark.’ I say, ‘No, thank you. I have other things I can contribute to.'”
That could explain why the former president didn’t make an effort to buy another yacht. Yet, despite his hatred for sharks, he reportedly turned down a chance to play the president in “Sharknado 3.”
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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