Biden likes to test fast electric cars, but his Tesla snub shows he likes unions more

• Joe Biden loves to test drive American-made electric vehicles, like Ford’s F-150 and Jeep’s Wrangler.

• America’s fastest electric vehicle, Tesla’s Model S Plaid, was notably absent from a White House event.

• When it comes to electrified speed, Biden is clearly happy to prioritize electric vehicles made by unions.

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President Joe Biden loves fast cars.

During a visit to the Ford plant in Dearborn, Mich., In May, he was visibly impressed with the acceleration of the new F-150 electric pickup truck.

“This sucker is fast!” he said.

On Thursday, he walked down the aisle of the White House in Jeep’s new Wrangler plug-in hybrid that develops 375 horsepower.

Read more: Analysts explain why they are skeptical of Biden’s ambitious plans for electric vehicle sales in the United States

Flanked by electrified American icons Wrangler and Bronco, he joked that GM CEO Mary Barra had promised him a test drive of the first electric model of his all-time favorite, the Chevrolet Corvette.

“When they make the first electric Corvette, I can drive it. Right, Mary? You think I’m kidding. I’m not kidding,” he said.

The White House event took place just a week after another U.S. automaker showed how fast electric cars can be. On a drag track in Florida, Tesla’s Model S Plaid completely smoked a Porsche Taycan Turbo S, said to be one of the fastest production cars in the world.

“I’ve driven fast cars before, but this one I could really feel,” said the Tesla driver. “Not everyone can handle this.”

But Tesla was notably absent from Biden’s celebration of American-made electric muscle cars, and the snub didn’t go unnoticed by CEO Elon Musk.

“It seems strange that Tesla was not invited,” he tweeted.

As it turns out, the main reason has to do with one thing President Biden puts before speed or style: the unions. Tesla is notoriously anti-union; The Detroit Big Three are on a shrinking list of top employers who use organized work.

The story continues

When asked if it was true that Tesla’s stance on unions was the reason for his exclusion, White House press secretary Jenn Psaki said: “I’ll let you shoot your own. conclusion”.

In remarks after his test drive, Biden expressed support for a plan that would offer purchase incentives totaling $ 10,000 to consumers to buy clean U.S.-made vehicles, including Tesla’s.

Still, this plan offers an additional $ 2,500 if that clean, US-made vehicle comes from a union store, like Ford, GM, or Stellantis.

In short, Biden likes a fast American-made muscle car, especially if it’s electric.

But he likes unions more.

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