President Donald Trump has once again revived his unusual “electric boat versus sharks” analogy while criticizing the challenges of battery-powered boats.
Speaking at a White House event, Trump recalled asking whether passengers aboard a sinking electric boat could face an electrocution risk if water reached its electrical systems.
He then joked that, if forced to choose between being electrocuted or jumping into shark-infested waters, he would take electrocution. Trump said the anecdote had previously drawn attention during his campaign. His broader argument was that electric boats can be significantly heavier because of their batteries, and that consumers should not be forced to adopt them.
Transcript:
Trump: “Three times heavier than your similar power if it were operated by gas or gasoline. And they said, ‘Well, let me ask.’ And I got myself into a lot of trouble. The fake news said, ‘Why does he say a thing like that?’ I was only kidding, but not really.
I said, ‘What’s the biggest problem?’ He said, ‘The weight is enormous. We can barely carry that much weight,’ because, you know, electric is a much heavier form of propulsion, and they said the weight is enormous.
I said, ‘Let me ask you a question. If you get a little leak and the water starts coming in your boat and you’re in — do you get electrocuted or not?’ He said, ‘You know, nobody’s ever asked me that question.’
And I said, ‘So here’s my question...’ You remember this? I used to say it during the campaign, driving the press crazy, but people found it sort of amusing.
I said, ‘So if I’m in an electric boat and I see them going down and the water’s pouring in, so I know I’m going to be electrocuted, but five yards away there are sharks, do I take the electrocution or do I go swimming with the sharks?’
And you know what my answer was? I’ll take the electrocution, okay? I’ll take the electrocution — but he didn’t know how to answer the question, John. He said, ‘No idea.’”
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