Tesla CEO Elon Musk called out President Joe Biden for his union-loving electric vehicle narrative, showing that he might care about the wrong thing completely.
Musk and Biden have had a strange history since the President took office in February 2021. While Biden has been a main driver of the EV story, he has refused at many points to mention Tesla when discussing the sector. This led to his notorious “You led” quote about Mary Barra, who is General Motors’ CEO.
US President Biden pats GM CEO’s back: “You electrified the entire auto industry. You led.”
Biden has also pledged allegiance to unions, especially the United Auto Workers (UAW), which Musk has been extremely vocal about his distaste for. Musk has continuously discussed corruption and theft within unions and has invited the UAW to hold a vote at Tesla’s factories.
The UAW has yet to take Tesla up on that offer.
The main reason the U.S. government has pushed electric vehicles so hard in the past few years is their environmental benefits. However, a recent post from Biden’s official Facebook account read a message that seemed to be more focused on who was building the vehicles than on why automakers were building them.
“The future of electric vehicles will be made in America by union workers,” the President’s post said.
Musk responded:
“Biden cares a lot more about whether Tesla is unionized than whether Tesla is saving the environment.”
Biden cares a lot more about whether Tesla is unionized than whether Tesla is saving the environment
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2024
Ford and General Motors eventually caved to the UAW’s wishes last year. Biden’s heavy support for the UAW helps bolster more votes as he aims to gain a second term in the White House. However, it cost both automakers substantially as strikes across the United States put workers out of factories for weeks, halting production.
Musk is more concerned about why Biden is not pushing companies to use any worker to build EVs, especially as he has passed several major infrastructure and climate bills in an effort to incentivize the purchase of electric vehicles and provide funding to build charging stations.
EVs have become so mainstream because of Tesla’s disruption of the automotive industry. According to Musk’s Master Plan, written in 2006, sustainable energy and a reduction of pollution were the main drivers in Tesla’s decision to build EVs. Consumers may have bought them for a variety of reasons, including performance, tech, or sustainability.
But Tesla’s entire business is founded on the principle of alleviating dependence on fossil fuels.
Based on Musk’s response to President Biden’s post, he might think his priorities are in the wrong place.
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