TheQuartering [1/27/2023]
Tesla (TSLA.O) Chief Executive Elon Musk met two top White House officials on Friday in Washington to discuss how the car maker and Democratic President Joe Biden could work together to advance electric vehicle production and speed electrification of U.S. vehicle networks.
Musk met John Podesta, a Democratic stalwart who serves as Biden’s senior adviser for clean energy innovation, and Mitch Landrieu, who oversees infrastructure spending, the White House said. The billionaire and Biden have often been at odds over political and labor issues.
“John Podesta and Mitch Landrieu met with Elon Musk to discuss shared goals around electrification and how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act can advance electric vehicle production and charging as well as the broader cause of electrification,” a White House spokesperson told Reuters.
Musk responded on Twitter to the initial exclusive Reuters report that he met with the officials, saying it was “True.”
Later, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed the meeting took place and added that Musk did not meet with Biden personally. The meeting demonstrates Biden’s commitment to electric vehicles and the importance he attaches to the infrastructure and inflation reduction laws passed last year, she said.
“I think it’s important that his (Biden’s) team and senior members of his team had a meeting with Elon Musk today to do just that.”
A Reuters witness on Friday saw Podesta, Landrieu and Musk entering a downtown building that houses both Tesla’s Washington lobbying operation and the Center for American Progress, a think tank Podesta founded. Landrieu and Podesta left about half an hour later and did not answer questions.
Musk left about 45 minutes after Podesta and Landrieu. He too ignored questions from a Reuters reporter.