DETROIT, Aug 7 (Reuters) - United Auto Workers President

Shawn Fain on Wednesday criticized Republican presidential

candidate Donald Trump's ties to billionaire Elon Musk while

campaigning for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

Musk endorsed Trump for November's election after the former

president survived an assassination attempt in July. Later that

month, the Wall Street Journal reported Musk planned to commit

around $45 million a month to a new pro-Trump super

political-action committee. However, after that report's

publication, both Musk and Trump said the Tesla CEO

never pledged any such donation.

"For months, Donald Trump has gone around trashing our

state, trashing our industry, trashing the American autoworker,

saying he was against electric vehicles. And then something

happened," Fain said on Wednesday while campaigning for Harris.

"We saw Elon Musk announce he was going to give Donald Trump

$45 million dollars a month. And all of a sudden, guess what,

Trump changed his tune," Fain added, calling Trump a "sellout."

Trump has opposed any electric car mandate and been critical

of EV policies under Democratic President Joe Biden but he has

said recently he supports electric vehicles.

"I'm for electric cars. I have to be, because Elon endorsed

me very strongly. So I have no choice," Trump said at a weekend

rally, but added he supports electric vehicles "for a small

slice." He went on to add: "You want to have gas-propelled cars,

you want to have hybrids, you want to have every kind of a car

imaginable."

UAW has endorsed Harris, who became the Democratic

presidential candidate recently after Biden stepped aside as

candidate.