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Elon Musk accuses Biden of ignoring Tesla, says he will ‘do the right thing’ at the White House


Joe Biden, left, and Elon Musk

Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters; Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | beautiful pictures

Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, in an email exchange with CNBC on Tuesday, accused President Joe Biden of ignoring his electric-car company in favor of successor automakers. excess.

But he also sought to reassure White House officials who were concerned that he would do or say something embarrassing if invited to speak at a White House event.

“They have nothing to worry about,” Musk said. “I will do the right thing.”

Musk’s comments come after CNBC contacted him regarding new reports that Biden and the White House have no immediate plans to invite Musk to potential upcoming meetings with company leaders. . People who spoke to CNBC about how much the White House cares about Musk declined to be named so they could speak freely about private conversations.

“The concept of feud is not entirely true. Biden flatly ignored Tesla and falsely claimed to the public that GM leads the electric car industry, when in fact Tesla has produced more than 300,000 electric vehicles in the past year. last quarter and GM made 26.” Musk said in the email.

Tesla announced in January that it had manufactured and delivered more than 300,000 vehicles globally in the fourth quarter. Synthetic engine Reported sales of 26 electric vehicles in the US, including a Hummer pickup and 25 Bolt EV models for the fourth quarter.

GM recently announced they are extending the discontinuation of their Chevrolet Bolt EV until early April but they plan to resume retail soon. The company said that it has a plan spend $35 billion on electric and autonomous vehicles by 2025.

For the first time in his presidencyBiden in February acknowledged Tesla’s status as the nation’s largest electric vehicle maker.

Musk and the White House have been at odds since the start of the Biden administration as the president pushed for infrastructure reform and tried to encourage green vehicle companies.

GM CEO Mary Barra said, standing next to Biden in January, said the company wants to invest 7 Billion Dollars Into Michigan to “continue to produce our electric vehicles.” GM is headquartered in Detroit. At the time, Musk responded to Barra and Biden’s comments by tweeting, “Starts with T, Ends with A, ESL in the middle.”

“It’s hilarious that no one in the administration is allowed to say the word ‘Tesla’! Public outrage and media pressure over that statement forced him to admit that Tesla is indeed the industry leader! electric vehicle industry.” Musk said in Tuesday’s email he wouldn’t exactly call it a ‘praise’.

A White House spokesman praised Tesla on Tuesday in an email to CNBC: “Tesla has done extraordinary things with electric vehicles, and that’s a big part of why the entire industry Everyone knows EVs are the future.”

Representatives of the White House also targeted Musk. “Tesla has also benefited greatly from past EV tax credits, but unfortunately their CEO has voiced opposition to the new EV tax credits,” the representative said. .

At times, Musk also mocked Biden. Once he said Biden “still sleeping” effectively reflects former President Donald Trump’s “Sleepy Joe” insults.

Some in the administration have privately referred to Musk as “hole”, for what he has said about Biden, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

“I have nothing against Biden, other than a general concern about a larger spending deficit, which would apply to any president and has actively supported the election,” Musk told CNBC on Tuesday. Obama-Biden election.

Data from the Center for Nonpartisan Responsive Politics shows Musk contributed just over $30,000 to the Democratic National Committee during the 2012 election cycle when former President Barack Obama and then Vice President Biden is fighting Republican candidate Mitt Romney for re-election. He also gave more than $2,500 directly to Obama’s presidential campaign during that cycle.

Musk did Not donated to Biden’s campaign when he ran for president in 2020. Instead, he spoke out in support of businessman and Democratic candidate Andrew Yang. He recently contributed to the Republican National Committee.

Musk, who also runs space exploration company SpaceX, has a net worth of more than $220 billion, according to Forbes.

White House frozen?

Biden and senior White House officials have privately signaled to allies that they have no immediate plans to invite Musk to any upcoming meetings with senior executives, according to people familiar with the matter. familiar with the matter. These people declined to be named so they could speak freely about private conversations.

Musk has praised the chairman on Twitter, including as recently as late January after Biden met with General Motors CEO Mary Barra and Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley during a briefing with public leaders. company to discuss the president’s Build Back Better initiative, which has stalled in Congress. . Musk, in a tweet, called Biden a “damp sock puppet in human form.”

When asked at the time CNBC Regarding Musk’s absence, Brian Deese, Biden’s top economic adviser, said: “When it comes to electric cars, we want the United States to be the place that drives the electric vehicle revolution. And where we win the electric car revolution. We’re creating more and better jobs in the US. So it’s not about any single company.”

According to more than half a dozen people familiar with the matter, behind the scenes, the president and his team are becoming more aggrieved with Musk’s criticism.

Biden advisers have declined to invite Musk to future industry events, because they fear the outspoken director will say something that could embarrass the president or the administration, according to one person. familiar with the discussion.

When asked about this, Musk first responded with an email with two “rolling on the floor laughing” emojis. He then followed up by saying that the White House shouldn’t worry about him doing anything weird.

A person close to the president told CNBC there was a push to get Musk on the table discuss The president’s $1 trillion infrastructure package since the CEO founded a tunneling company called the Boring Company.

Some in the White House, including climate adviser Ali Zaid, believe that only consolidated auto companies, such as GM and Ford, should meet with Biden and senior administration officials, some of This person explains.

The White House has pushed back against this depiction.

“Ali Zaidi has met with every automaker at least once – including Tesla, many times. And the right to collective bargaining with their employers,” the spokesperson said.

Tesla is not a union and Musk made it United Automobile Workers Union through his Twitter account. UAW confirmed Biden for the president during the previous election war.





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