The administration of President Joe Biden has responded to criticism from Elon Musk, designating the Tesla CEO and prospective Twitter owner as an “anti-labor billionaire” while touting Biden’s ostensible pro-labor credentials.
During a recent appearance on the “All-In Podcast,” Musk said that Biden “doesn’t seem to get a lot done,” in contrast to the Trump administration, which he said was “effective at getting things done.”
Musk also complained that the Biden administration “is simply too much captured by the unions, which was not the case with [President Barack] Obama.”
During a recent interview with “Fox Business,” White House spokesman Michael Gwin retorted to Musk’s remarks, touting Biden’s job creation numbers and infrastructure projects while taking time to criticize Musk’s often contentious relationship with unions.
“Under President Biden, our economy has roared back with over eight million jobs created, unemployment plummeting, economic growth that outstrips our peer countries, and a historic investment in roads, bridges, ports, and a nationwide EV charging network,” said Gwin. “I think that’s ‘getting things done’ by any measure, but count us as unsurprised that an anti-labor billionaire would look for any opportunity to nip at the heels of the most pro-union and pro-worker president in modern history.”
Gwin’s comments allude to a long and contentious history of tensions between labor organizers and Musk’s flagship company, Tesla, which has resisted unionization throughout its rise as a company. Currently, Tesla is the only American automobile manufacturer without a union, though the prospect of forming a Tesla union has arisen periodically in recent years. Musk has occasionally found himself in hot water with the National Labor Relations Board, and in 2019 he was ordered to delete a tweet on the subject after a California judge ruled that his statements constituted “unfair labor practices.”
The back-and-forth between the South African entrepreneur and the current administration highlight Musk’s growing alienation from the Democratic party, with which the billionaire was formerly on good terms. During the Obama administration, Musk maintained close ties with the White House, and “strongly supported” that administration. While Musk briefly joined two business advisory councils under President Donald Trump, he left both positions in June 2017 in protest of Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords.
However, during the Biden era, Musk has been outspoken in what he sees as the radical leftward shift of the Democratic party.
“In the past I voted Democrat, because they were (mostly) the kindness party. But they have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican,” Musk wrote on Twitter Wednesday.
With Musk’s most recent back-and-forth with representatives from the White House, he continues to become more estranged from the Democratic party, drawing ire and criticism from former allies and fellow travelers.
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