Tesla, Inc. TSLA has never been featured in President Joe Biden's vision for the electrification of the U.S. auto industry, and the EV maker's outspoken CEO Elon Musk has never shied away from expressing his displeasure with that oversight.
White House Snubs Musk Again: Earlier this week, the White House hosted the "Build Back Better CEO Round Table," wherein 10 CEOs of companies involved in EV manufacturing and services were invited. The objective was to mobilize support for the Biden administration's ambitious "Build Back Better" bill, which has failed to clear the Senate.
General Motors Corporation's GM Mary Barra and Ford Motor Company F were among the invitees. And as has happened in the past, Musk was not invited.
When Biden tweeted out a video featuring himself and GM's Barra, the Tesla CEO spelled out the company's name in response.
In a reply to a Twitter user who pointed out the snub, Musk said, "Biden is a damp puppet in human form."
Earlier in August 2021, when the Biden administration called auto executives to the White House to discuss the goal of increasing EV production in the U.S., officials chose to ignore Musk.
Related Link: EV Week In Review: Tesla Raises Concern Over Future Growth, Lucid Going Places, GM Aims EV Leadership And More
Petition For Biden's Acknowledgement Floats Around: Tesla supporters have stated a petition on change.org, asking Biden to "acknowledge Tesla's leadership in regards to electric vehicles."
The petition has since collected 6,054 signatures.
When the petition was shared on Twitter, tagging Musk and Tesla, the tweet was liked by Musk himself.
Tesla has been the leader in EV manufacturing, and the legacy automakers are playing catch-up to the company. In 2021, Tesla delivered nearly one million vehicles globally. While automakers such as GM and Ford have only recently doubled down on their EV investments and have begun ramping up production.
The cold shoulder toward Tesla may have been due to the U.S. government's focus on domestic manufacturing. Tesla manufactures a substantial number of its EVs in China, which has a frosty relationship with the U.S.
Tesla shares closed Friday's session up 2.08% at $846.35.
Related Link: Tesla Falls On Q4 Earnings: 3 Analysts On What's Next For EV Stock
Photo: Courtesy of Thomas Hawk on Flickr
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