Click for more from The Hill.{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment   The Big Story  Will GOP praise for Tesla translate to sales? Conservatives are rallying around Tesla while liberals ditch or distance themselves from Elon Musk’s electr ic vehicles. © Photo by Krisztian Elek/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Republicans, who have long eschewed electric vehicles (EVs) and the movement away from fossil fuels, have come to Tesla’s defense as it suffers financially and faces attacks tied to Musk’s work with the Trump administration.   Meanwhile, U.S. liberals and European buyers are taking out their frustrations over Musk and President Trump’s policies by getting rid of their Teslas and boycotting the company.   “It’s a little bit of a twilight zone for Tesla,” said Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives.   Generally, more Democrats than Republicans buy EVs. A 2023 Gallup survey found that 6 percent of Democrats, 4 percent of independents and 1 percent of Republicans owned electric cars.  And just 1 percent of Republicans said they would seriously consider buying an EV in the future, compared to 12 percent of independents and 22 percent of Democrats.   Amid Tesla’s woes, Trump publicly purchased a Tesla earlier this month, praising the cars from the perch of the White House.   His supporters have also made public displays of affection toward Musk’s electric cars.    Despite the GOP show of support, Tesla’s brand has suffered in recent weeks from its close association with Musk as he has taken on a prominent and controversial role in the administration leading the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to slash government spending and the federal workforce.  Tesla’s stock price has nosedived, falling more than 40 percent since its peak in mid-December. The company has shed more than $500 billion in market value since the end of the year.   March represented the highest-ever level of trade-ins of Tesla vehicles recorded on car-shopping website Edmunds.   A total of 1.4 percent of the site’s trade-ins were Teslas, up from 0.4 percent a year ago. Meanwhile, research activity for Teslas on the website was also down to its lowest level.   However, Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds’s head of insights, noted that due to the high cost of cars generally, most Tesla owners are still likely to hold onto their cars for the time being, even if they don’t like Musk.  “Unlike switching smartphone brands or streaming services, replacing a car is a major financial decision, and even the most disillusioned Tesla owners will likely hold onto their vehicles out of necessity,” Caldwell said in a statement.   Read more from Rachel and The Hill's Julia Shapero at TheHill.com.  Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, I'm Rachel Frazin — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.  Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: Democrats grill EPA nominee over green bank controversyDemocrats grilled Sean Donahue, President Trump’s pick as top lawyer for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on the agency’s attempts to terminate already issued climate grants during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday.  Full Story   Trump announces 25 percent tariff on all car importsPresident Trump on Wednesday announced he was imposing a 25 percent tariff on foreign-made vehicle imports, marking the latest escalation of his trade war against other nations.  Full Story   Canada bars Tesla from rebate program over Trump tariffs Canada has barred electric vehicle (EV) giant Tesla from all of its rebate programs and banned the Texas-based automotive company from future electric vehicle rebate programs over President Trump’s tariff back-and-forth with Ottawa.   Full Story   What We're Reading  News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics: NOAA Hired an Anti-Wind Activist as Its Top Lawyer (Heatmap)  EPA knew it wrongfully canceled dozens of environmental grants, documents show (The Washington Post)   What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now:Democrat raising Hegseth’s drinking sparks fury from Ratcliffe: ‘An offensive line of questioning’ Rep. Jimmy Gomez’s (D-Calif.) questions about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s drinking habits sparked fury from intelligence leaders at a House committee hearing Wednesday. Read more Appeals court won’t lift Boasberg’s order blocking Alien Enemies Act A federal appeals court in a 2-1 decision Wednesday refused to lift U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s order blocking the Trump administration from swiftly deporting migrants under the Alien Enemies Act.  Read more  You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Energy & Environment page for the latest coverage. Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Energy and Environment newsletter Subscribe ...read more read less