Ford pickup trucks have been an all-American classic for nearly 50 years, but some liberal critics say the love affair should end as they get bigger, bulkier and more dangerous.
A new Axios report found that small pickup trucks have all but disappeared from the market to adapt to Americans’ changing lifestyle and obsession with bigger and better.
But some experts say the push for oversized trucks poses a greater risk to pedestrians and other drivers, who aren’t often seen in blind spots, due to the height of the trucks. Gas guzzlers are also a growing concern as companies attempt to switch from fossil fuels to electric-powered vehicles.
Mollie Hemingway, a Fox News contributor, said “it’s not surprising” that the left wants to take away trucks.
“America was built on trucks. I mean it was the trucks [that] helped build everything that matters in this country,” Hemingway told Outnumbered on Tuesday.
“[The left] dislikes when people are in control of their own lives. And there is this growing authoritarian impulse on the left that needs to be stopped. But you pray that … people care enough to fight back.”
Co-host Emily Compagno argued the big picture Axios was making was that trucks were now just status symbols.
“They talked about how the bed ratio to taxi drivers isn’t as great as it used to be, and only poor people drive the city streets. [But] You know, when I was working on a ranch in Montana and there were big fires, the horses were moved that way. This is how cattle were moved. And I can’t imagine a Prius with a 24 horse trailer getting in there and taking them to safety. I just don’t see it,” she said.
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Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen agreed, noting that the Left is “an authoritarian movement that wants to tell you how to live your life.”
“Most conservatives say look, if you want your electric stove and your electric car, go ahead and live your life, be awake, enjoy it. And maybe if you make them good enough and cheap enough, I’ll buy one one day too. But that’s not enough for the left,” explained Thiessen.
“They don’t want you to live your life. They want to tell you how to live your life. We’ll say no, you won’t drive a gas-guzzling truck. And no, you will not have a gas stove. They’re going to have an electric stove because every building, every new building in New York City can’t run out of gas.
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“Nothing is safe from the overly critical eyes of the left,” said Compagno.
Ashley Carnahan is a production assistant at Fox News Digital.