Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: Tesla CEO Elon Musk met with top White House officials on Friday to discuss ways the car manufacturer and President Joe Biden’s administration can collaborate to accelerate electric vehicle production and the electrification of the nation’s transportation systems.
The meeting held in Washington was attended by John Podesta, a senior adviser for clean energy innovation, and Mitch Landrieu, responsible for infrastructure spending, according to Reuters. Despite past differences on political and labor issues, Musk and Biden are now looking to work together to promote the growth of the electric vehicle industry in the United States. Elon Musk himself confirmed the meeting with the word “True.”
Later, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed the meeting and added that Elon Musk did not meet with Biden personally. She said the meeting demonstrates Biden’s commitment to electric vehicles and his importance to the infrastructure and inflation reduction laws passed last year.
Elon Musk, Biden Tensions
Biden has been a vocal advocate for union labor, and Musk has been a vocal opponent of unions in his factories. In the past, Musk has criticized Biden, even referring to him as a “damp sock puppet in human form” after Biden highlighted EV production by other companies and ignored Tesla’s contributions. However, over a year into his presidency, Biden publicly acknowledged Tesla’s role in US electric vehicle manufacturing.
