On Tuesday, President Joe Biden visited Ford’s Michigan factory to test their new electric F-150. At one point during the event, Biden went onto the test track to test the Ford’s acceleration.
Before taking off, Biden talked to reporters, threatening to run over a female reporter who asked him about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
“Mr. President can I ask you a quick question on Israel before you drive away since it’s so important?” the female reporter asked.
“No you can’t. Not unless you get in front of the car as I step on it,” Biden mumbled as the reporters started to nervously laugh. “I’m only teasing.”
WATCH:
REPORTER: Mr. President can I ask you a quick question on Israel before you drive away since it's so important?
BIDEN: No you can't… not unless you get in front of the car as I step on it… I'm only teasing. pic.twitter.com/zRrXBjk7YQ
— BG (@TheBGates) May 18, 2021
Check out what The Detroit New reported on the event:
President Joe Biden pitched his $174 billion electric vehicle plan Tuesday at the Ford Motor Co. Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, touring the plant and taking a test-track spin in the company’s electric version of the best-selling F-150 pickup truck ahead of its reveal Wednesday evening.
After his time behind the wheel of the F-150 Lightning, the president was asked how it was to drive the battery-electric pickup. “It feels great,” Biden said.
“I’ll tell you what, these electric vehicles, now I don’t know if anyone has a stop watch but these
vehicles can go from 0 to 60 in … 4.4 seconds,” the president said.
Biden alluded to his fondness for vehicles as he began his remarks after touring the facility where the electric F-150 will be build.
“My name is Joe Biden, and I’m a car guy,” the president said to cheers as he began his remarks.
Biden said the nation is at a “great inflection point” and that “what we do in the next four to 10 years” will determine where the country is 50 years from now.
“Look, the future of the auto industry is electric,” he said. “There’s no turning back. … The only question is whether we’ll lead the race or fall behind.”
Upon arrival at the plant, Biden joined Ford executives and employees — including Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford and CEO Jim Farley — and UAW President Rory Gamble on a four-stop tour focusing on several aspects of EVs. Ford engineers talked the president through various aspects of the electric F-150 and its approach to electrification.
Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s president of the Americas and International Markets Group, manned one station about Ford’s EV-certified dealer network and spoke to the president about the need to build out the country’s EV charging network. Employees from Ford’s Van Dyke plant in Sterling Heights, which is slated to build motors and transaxles for EVs alongside transmissions for conventional vehicles, also spoke to the president and highlighted some of the products they build.
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