President Joe Biden is in love with electric vehicles!
So much that he’s pushing for half of all the US cars sold by 2030 to be EVs.
He’s even signed an executive order to that effect.
So why is he snubbing Tesla, the American carmaker that doubles as the world’s largest
and most successful EV manufacturer?
Also, if Biden’s commitment to promoting electric vehicles is genuine, why then does
he resent Elon Musk, the one man that lives and breathes EVs?
In this video, we’re putting our investigative journalism skills to bear as we seek to find
out what’s going on between Joe Biden and Elon Musk.
We’re also going to detail Elon Musk’s hostile history with other Politicians and
answer other related questions like: Why is the US government snubbing Tesla?
Why does Elon Musk hate the government so much?
Let’s get right into it.
What’s going on between Joe Biden and Elon Musk?
“I meant it when I said the future was going to be made right here in America.
Companies like GM and Ford are building more electric vehicles here at home than ever before.”
Cut!
We like to think the President of the United States, Joe Biden tweeted in error by omitting
Tesla from this list, or could it be intentional?
Elon Musk appeared to fix the error though when he replied, “[It] starts with a T,
ends with an A, ESL in the middle,” seemingly protesting the President’s intentional blunder
to leave out the world’s leading EV manufacturer from a government-led discussion about the
local EV industry.
Cult members of Musk’s Twitter army decided to join in too.
Just in case you’re lost, that was a short story of the broken relationship between the
world’s richest man and the political leader of the world’s most powerful country.
While GM has pledged to invest $7.5 billion in the production of EVs, President Biden
praised the automaker's CEO, Mary Barra, for “electrifying the entire auto industry,”
however it’s clear even to the blind that Tesla is the leader of the EV industry.
Elon Musk is the one who “electrified” the automobile industry.
In the last quarter, two of the companies mentioned by Biden (Ford and GM, delivered
12,310 electric cars, with GM contributing just 26 vehicles.
In comparison, Tesla alone delivered 308,600.
A petition on Change.org calling for Joe Biden to “acknowledge Tesla’s leadership in
regard to electric vehicles” has since been launched.
But overall, the animosity between Joe Biden and Elon Musk goes beyond the snub; it can
be traced to several factors, including a questionable snub from a White House EV summit,
strong disagreements over the Build Back Better (BBB) legislation, Elon Musk’s tax rate,
and a three-letter word called UAW.
Earlier this year, Joe Biden left out Tesla as he invited GM, Ford, and Chrysler to the
government house to discuss electric vehicles and the President’s Build Back Better Act,
which, by the way, is hanging by a thread.
Elon Musk has been one of the bill's biggest critics, too, and it's quite easy to see why.
“Honestly, I would just can this whole bill,” Musk said during The Wall Street Journal’s
CEO Council Summit.
“Don’t pass it; that’s my recommendation.”
Why is the US government snubbing Tesla?
The BBB proposes massive tax incentives of up to $12,500 for customers who purchase electric
vehicles from the automakers whose staff are part of the United Auto Workers union.
Surprisingly, Tesla customers are not eligible because the company’s workers are not unionized.
The only reprieve for Tesla is the $7,500 Federal credit that it will get, but that’s
standard for other automakers anyway.
Many have highlighted this fact as the sole reason why Tesla wasn’t invited to the meeting.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki didn’t rule out the suggestion too when she said
GM, Ford, and Chrysler “are the three largest employers of the United Auto Workers, so I'll
let you draw your own conclusion.”
This is not to draw conclusions or anything, but is that enough reason to ignore a local
company that has made a name for itself as the world’s largest maker of electric vehicles
from an indigenous EV meeting?
Elon Musk doesn’t think so.
After teaching everyone who cared to know how to spell Tesla, the billionaire threw
caution to the wind when he called Joe Biden a “damp sock puppet.”
The President didn’t respond to this comment, at least not directly.
But those words surely will not help Tesla’s cause.
Elon Musk’s Hostile History With Politicians?
There's been no love lost between Elon Musk and political officeholders.
Musk openly criticized former United States President Donald Trump in 2016.
“I feel a bit stronger that he is not the right guy,” Musk told CNBC.
“He doesn’t seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States.”
The Tesla CEO is also caught in a Twitter feud with Elizabeth Warren.
In July 2021, the Senator tweeted that “Elon Musk didn’t pay any federal income taxes
in 2018.
After Musk was named the Financial Times person of the year, the Senator called for a review
of the “rigged tax code so The Person of the Year will actually pay taxes and stop
freeloading off everyone else,” insinuating that the Tesla boss is evading tax.
“Stop projecting!”
Musk fired back.
“You remind me of when I was a kid, and my friend’s angry Mom would just randomly
yell at everyone for no reason.”
Clearly, his outspoken nature has won him more enemies in the government than friends.
Away from the political circle, Musk is also in a bitter battle with Amazon Chairman Jeff
Bezos.
His criticisms are on point most of the time, though.
He’s already on the bad books of several government agencies, he’s even had to pay
a fine to the Securities Exchange Commission for a tweet he made, but Elon Musk remains
one of the most vocal government critics you’ll find around.
John Coffee, a professor at Columbia University Law School, believes his companies might suffer
for it.
“This is not the behavior of a normal, rational CEO,” he said.
“But we already knew that Musk was not that, even though he’s been highly successful.
Even if he’s correct in projecting Biden's eventual failure, he and his companies can
endure an awful lot of pain in the interim.
And it will not involve any retaliation by Biden as by now the SEC and other agencies
regard him as a sworn enemy.”
Still, on the United Auto Workers, Biden admits he’s a “union guy,” while Elon Musk
isn’t much of a fan and even accused the President of being “controlled by union.”
“New UAW slogan: ‘Fighting for their right to steal money from workers!'”
Musk tweeted after the 16th person within the UAW was charged for corruption following
an internal audit.
Former UAW President Gary Jones was sentenced to 28 months in prison for embezzling $1.5
million and spending it on booze, expensive meals, golf clubs, and vacation homes.
Right before we talk about the other reasons why Elon Musk hates the government, if you've
made it this far, make sure to like and subscribe for more content like this.
Why Does Elon Musk Hate The Government So Much?
Aside from snubbing Tesla, Joe Biden apparently doesn't fancy Elon Musk’s other business
venture SpaceX.
In September 2021, the aerospace company created history.
The Falcon 9 rocket delivered four private astronauts to orbit, representing the first-ever
civilian crew to space.
The project tagged Inspiration 4 helped raise over $200M millions for St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital, including Musk’s personal donation of $50M. It also drew accolades from
far and wide except from the country's first citizen and, of course, the White House.
“The President of the United States has refused to even acknowledge the 4 newest American
astronauts who helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars for St. Jude.
What's your theory on why that is?"
one Twitter user asked.
Musk’s ever-active keypad was again on hand to deliver the goods as the SpaceX boss replied,
“He's still sleeping," referring to the not-so-friendly nickname Donald Trump called
Joe Biden during the 2020 Presidential campaign.
Although Elon Musk says the present administration is not the “friendliest,” Biden insists
that he's a “car guy.”
And in a remarkable event on February 8, 2022, the President finally brought himself to pronounce
the word “Tesla” for the first time since he assumed office.
But that’s not all; he also acknowledged Tesla’s position as the undisputed EV industry
leader, referring to the automaker as the “nation’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer.”
Was that a peace offering from Biden to Tesla and Elon Musk?
Is the government being unfair to Tesla?
Is Musk too hard on Biden?
Let us know in the comment section below.
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