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10–15 years ago, a common joke you’d see in online forums and Facebook groups was that Barack Obama was America’s Greatest Gun Salesman. With the prospect of strict gun control laws (that never had a snowball’s chance in hell of passing or surviving court challenges in the United States), many people flocked to the nearest gun shop with cash in hand. Some hoped to be grandfathered under any new laws. Others were cutting sections of large-diameter PVC pipe and packing the guns away underground in nearby forests and swamps.
The price of ammunition and guns both sometimes spiked to levels insane enough that some people started treating guns as investments even if they didn’t want to go shooting. People would show up to Walmarts and other stores on the day they knew a shipment of ammunition was coming in and they’d buy everything they could. Some retailers started rationing ammunition so that real customers could get some instead of all of it going to speculators.
Now, Donald Trump is doing pretty much the same with electric vehicles, but on a far grander scale.
The ICE “Ammunition” Crisis
To understand the current EV boom, you have to look at the fuel that powers the alternative. In the Obama years, the fear of an ammunition shortage or gun bans drove panic buying. Today, the American commuter is facing an actual, sustained crisis at the pump. In 2009, you could avoid being fleeced by simply not going out and buying a gun. In 2026, most people have no easy way to simply sit the panic buying out.
When Qatar projects that oil is heading toward $150 a barrel, the math for the average American family fundamentally changes. The Trump administration’s foreign policy and the escalating volatility in the Middle East have stripped away the illusion of cheap, infinitely available gasoline. Energy independence through domestic drilling sounds great on a campaign stage, but oil is a global commodity. When the Strait of Hormuz tightens or global supply chains fracture, the price of gas in Ohio and Texas spikes right alongside the global barrel.
At $150 a barrel, gasoline is no longer just a weekly expense; it is a financial liability. Paying $6 or more for every gallon just isn’t sustainable, environmentally or in the household budget.
The Panic Buyers
Just as gun owners rushed to buy firearms before theoretical bans took effect, car buyers are now looking at the EV landscape with a profound sense of urgency. The Trump administration’s aggressive rollback of EV tax credits and green subsidies didn’t kill the electric car.
Knowing that federal incentives were being slashed in 2025, consumers rushed to dealerships to lock in their “grandfathered” discounts.
In 2026, the subsidies are gone, but the underlying math has shifted. Americans aren’t flocking to Teslas, Rivians, and Ford Mustang Mach-Es because they suddenly developed a burning desire to save the polar bears. They are doing it for the exact same reason some people bought up pallets of 5.56x45mm and .22 LR ammunition: personal defense, even if it’s the financial kind this time.
Hedging Against the Pump
An electric vehicle parked in the garage, plugged into a wall, represents certainty. It is the modern-day equivalent of that buried PVC pipe, but instead of requiring belief in the insurrectionary theory of the Second Amendment, it only requires simple knowledge of math.
You can’t drill for oil in your backyard and refine it in your garage, but you can put solar panels on your roof, or at the very least, lock in a stable, predictable electricity rate from your local utility (especially with time-of-use charging rates that are available in most places).
People are starting to view EVs as a financial hedge. The upfront cost might still sting, but it insulates the buyer from the geopolitical shockwaves that send gas prices soaring overnight. Trump built a political brand on defending the internal combustion engine and mocking the “green transition.” Yet, the reality of his economic and foreign policies has created a world where relying on a gas-powered commute is a massive financial gamble.
Donald Trump didn’t write a mandate forcing Americans to buy electric cars. He just created an environment where they can’t afford not to.
Will his staunchest supporters claim this is 4D chess and tell us that he meant to do that (in Pee Wee Herman style)? Probably not, but it sure would be funny. We know he did look at other authoritarian leaders in the world and wanted to imitate them, much as Pee Wee did on his bike. It didn’t go as planned.
Will Trump Save The New Bolt EV & Other Models?
Recently, the Chevy Bolt EV came back to life. GM knew it was a popular model, especially with the high gas prices that happened around 2021-2023 and the affordable prices GM offered them at. It’s now available as a refreshed vehicle with LiFePO4 battery cells, Ultium electronics/infotainment, and 3x faster charging speeds at DCFC stations. Plus, it has a Tesla-style NACS port.
But, seeing the “EV headwinds”, GM has announced that it’s only going to be around for a limited time. Other manufacturers are pulling similar moves, canceling future models and even cutting the popular F-150 Lightning.
Now, the math is fundamentally different. With gasoline prices spiking, car buyers don’t need incentives or even regulations to have the EV make the most sense. Donald Trump is providing the biggest stick in the world, and that makes up for the complete lack of carrots. We very well may see GM announce that it’s extending Bolt production, and we may see other delayed or canceled models return to the land of the living.
A Permanent Hit To The Oil Companies
While US oil producers are enjoying the high prices right now, it won’t be as fun for them in the long run.
Today’s spiking gasoline and diesel prices will push millions of people to seriously consider buying a new or used EV. When they do that, they’ll learn that they aren’t “soulless appliances”. Not only do they save money, but they’re more convenient if you can charge at home, and they have instant torque. They’re quieter, vibrate and shake less, and are generally just more pleasant to drive. In traffic, having access to one-pedal driving and HVAC without wasting gas idling make EVs the clear winner.
Will people who bought an EV during this gas price spike go back to ICE later? Studies show that most people don’t go back. Gas can drop back down toward $2/gallon when the Strait of Hormuz opens up again and oil prices drop, but millions of people will never buy the stuff again.
As usual, the big government, anti-consumer, kleptocratic politics of MAGA just don’t pan out for anybody who wanted them. Someone might make a quick buck today, but they never win in the long run.
Featured image: a screenshot from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (fair use).
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