As Tesla Inc TSLA fans continue to urge President Joe Biden to acknowledge the role Tesla has played in America's electrification efforts, a White House official has called upon Tesla for help with the chip shortage.
What Happened: Biden posted a video on Twitter with General Motors Co GM CEO Mary Barra, crediting GM and Ford Motor Co F for their leading roles in America's transition to electric vehicles, but Tesla, the largest EV producer in the U.S., was left out of the conversation.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to the post with a tweet of his own in the form of a word puzzle: "Starts with a T, Ends with an A, ESL in the middle," Musk said in an apparent effort to get Biden to acknowledge Tesla.
Musk's tweet saw significant engagement from Tesla fans as supporters followed up with responses to Biden, highlighting his oversight. Others saw it as more of an intentional slight and are taking more extensive measures to urge Biden to mention Tesla.
More than 55,000 people have signed a petition asking the president to acknowledge Tesla and someone even bought a billboard in Times Square featuring a tweet from Musk.
Related Link: Tesla Fans Buy Times Square Billboard Promoting Tweet From Elon Musk: Will President Biden Notice?
Why It Matters: Biden still hasn't recognized Tesla for its leadership in the EV space, yet Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is seeking help from the company in relation to supply constraints affecting the semiconductor industry.
"America still leads the world in design and software, and the tooling, the equipment to make the chips," Raimondo said Thursday on CNBC's "Squawk Box." She wants semiconductor manufacturing to expand in the U.S. so the country can be less dependent on overseas manufacturers.
When asked specifically about whether Musk should be by his phone expecting a call, Raimondo said "yeah, absolutely."
"Look, none of this is personal," she said. "These issues are way too important for anyone to have, you know, feelings hurt. Like, let’s just do the work. And as I said, anyone who has good ideas or is willing to help us, absolutely we want the help."
Raimondo noted that Tesla was able to navigate the chip shortage better than its competitors because of the nature of its business as a tech company, opposed to an automaker.
It remains to be seen if Biden will be the one reaching out to Tesla, and furthermore, if he will acknowledge the company as the EV leader it has been and continues to be.
Photo: Diego Cambiaso from Pixabay.
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