GM’s CEO Stood Up for Tesla and Musk to Biden, Yet the Snub Still Occurred | Carscoops

      Mary Barra asserts that she corrected Biden on the leadership in the EV race, although her private acknowledgment of Tesla's contributions was not made public.

      Biden omitted Tesla from the 2021 White House EV summit.

      GM was inaccurately recognized for taking the lead in the EV transition.

      In a private conversation, Mary Barra informed Biden that Tesla warranted more recognition.

      In 2021, a prominent EV summit at the White House brought together key figures in the automotive sector. Hosted by President Joe Biden, the event was promoted as a pivotal moment for the country's shift to electric vehicles. Executives from GM, Ford, and Stellantis were all in attendance.

      However, notably absent was Elon Musk, or anyone from Tesla. This absence became apparent, especially when Biden openly attributed the leadership of the EV movement to GM.

      As is evident, Musk tends to hold onto grievances. While it may have appeared to be a minor political oversight at the time, the oversight may have had repercussions that reached beyond Washington.

      What Prompted the Exclusion?

      Since the summit, little has been discussed publicly, but during an interview at the 2025 New York Times DealBook Summit, GM President Mary Barra provided insight into the events that unfolded behind closed doors. She revealed that she spoke with President Biden privately during the event to redirect some of the accolades directed toward her.

      “He was giving me credit, and I responded, ‘Actually, I believe much of that credit belongs to Elon and Tesla,’” Barra shared with the audience. “You know me, Andrew. I don’t wish to take credit for things.”

      The exclusion was believed to have been partly intended to align the White House’s support with the United Auto Workers and the automakers GM, Ford, and Stellantis, all of which employ unionized labor. In contrast, Tesla does not. Musk has been vocally critical of labor unions for years, a position that has frequently put him at odds with Democratic policymakers.

      The Consequences that Followed

      The situation didn't end there. According to Business Insider, in her recent memoir, former Vice President Kamala Harris admitted that excluding Musk from the invitation list was, in retrospect, a mistake.

      “If you are gathering the nation’s electric vehicle manufacturers and the most significant player is absent, it simply makes no sense,” she remarked. “Musk never forgave it.”

      In another interview, Harris elaborated: “I thought that was an error, and although I do not know Elon Musk, I must assume that it affected him deeply and influenced his viewpoint,” she stated, according to Fox News.

      It is difficult to measure exactly how much the snub influenced Musk’s political stance, but for years, the Tesla CEO had supported Democratic candidates, voting for individuals like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

      However, around 2022, Musk's political affiliations began to shift to the right, culminating in a significant role in securing Donald Trump’s second term. Whether the outcome might have differed had Biden acknowledged him remains uncertain.

      Let’s not overlook the White House's dismissal of Tesla, excluding it from the EV summit while crediting GM with “leading the electric car revolution” during the same quarter that GM delivered 26 electric vehicles (not a typo) and Tesla delivered 300,000. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 24, 2023