Just a day after President Joe Biden finally mentioned Tesla in a speech, the administration’s Tesla floodgates are apparently open, with a new mention of the electric vehicle (EV) giant coming from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Buttigieg said that Tesla helped “make EVs possible” in an interview on Tuesday, officially recognizing the automaker as a pioneer in EV manufacturing, according to CNBC.
In the interview, Buttigieg said, “We admire the range of American companies that have innovated, including Tesla, which did so much to make EVs possible in America.” Buttigieg continued, “Now it’s mainstream. Earlier on, at a time when U.S. policy with tax credits was supporting companies like Tesla, that wasn’t viewed as such a sure bet.”
The news comes after months of criticism faced by the White House for making no mention of Tesla, and for subsidizing EVs from union-based legacy automakers like Ford, General Motors (GM) and Fiat-Chrysler, but not Tesla.
Tesla enthusiasts even created a petition for President Biden to acknowledge the company, which surpassed 40,000 signatures at the beginning of this month.
When pressed further about union grievances President Biden holds against Tesla, Buttigieg also added, “We believe in good paying jobs, and we believe that unions built the middle class.”
