President Trump Tuesday vowed to roll back environmental regulations, arguing the restrictions placed on businesses in the name of environmentalism has gotten "out of control."

"It's absolutely crazy," Trump said before a meeting at the White House with the heads of U.S. automakers. "I am, to a large extent, an environmentalist ... but it's out of control."

Trump cited experiences from several of his friends who had stopped building in the U.S. due to environmental regulations, claiming some of his associates had been denied permits "over something nobody ever heard of before."

"We're going to either give you your permits or we're not going to be giving you your permits, but you're going to know very quickly," Trump said. "And generally speaking, we're going to be giving you your permits."

Trump has taken a number of steps toward his promise to become "the greatest jobs president God ever created." He issued a regulatory freeze on the first day of his presidency, signaled to the leaders of Canada and Mexico that he plans to start renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, withdrew the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and conducted "listening sessions" with business and labor leaders.

Before speaking on Tuesday to the group of automakers, which included Craig Glidden and Mary Barra of GM, Trump reiterated his pledge to slash taxes on businesses as well as regulations.