Elon Musk turned against President Biden because he felt snubbed when the commander-in-chief credited his Tesla competitor for electrifying “the entire automobile industry,” according to a report.
Biden praised General Motors CEO Mary Barra for leading the charge in electric vehicle (EV) innovation in November 2021, despite Tesla having about two-thirds of the EVs on the roads, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“You electrified the entire automobile industry. I’m serious. You led, and it matters,” Biden said about Barra while calling Detroit the leading city in the world for electric vehicles.
Biden’s comments sparked outrage among Tesla’s hierarchy, especially Musk, mainly because Tesla delivered more than 115,000 EVs in the US compared to General Motors 26 at that time, according to the report.
However, tension began festering for Musk — who has publicly stated in the past that he voted for Biden in the 2020 election — as soon as the administration started bolstering plans to boost electric vehicles around America.
Tesla officials had contacted the White House multiple times after Biden was elected to discuss plans for the future of EVs in America, hoping to connect the two for plans.
Despite Tesla having about two-thirds of the EVs on the roads around the US when Biden took office, Musk and his team were constantly given the cold shoulder.
The commander in chief began promoting his new infrastructure bill, which would make electric and other zero-emission vehicles make up half of the new cars and trucks sold in the US by 2030.
Early on in his administration, Biden had begun organizing multiple EV events.
Musk started feeling he was being snubbed out of plans in August 2021, when the president hosted an event with three major car companies: General Motors, Ford Motor, and Chrysler parent Stellantis.
Musk and Tesla were excluded from the event.
Tesla and Musk were allegedly kept off the invited list for these events because Tesla is the only major US car manufacturer without unionized factory workers.
Biden officials did not want to ruffle the feathers of the United Auto Workers union, which leaned on the White House to keep its distance from Musk, people familiar with the matter told the Washington Post.
Musk and his representatives didn’t respond to requests for comment, the Washington DC paper said.
