OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk made headlines recently when he revealed that he won’t “ever again” sign autographs in public because of threats to his life. During a live session on the social media website, Musk was discussing the “Twitter Files” and made a concerning admission that he was concerned about his safety.
“Frankly the risk of something bad happening or literally even being shot is quite significant. I’m definitely not going to be doing any open-air car parades, let me put it that way,” Musk said. “It’s not that hard to kill me if somebody wanted to, so hopefully they don’t.”
Over the weekend, Musk told reporters outside Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., that he also would never sign autographs again as a way to protect himself from any potential threats.
“I’ve made it clear,” Musk told the group. “I’m not doing any more — any more signings, ever again.”
“After tonight?” someone in the group shouted as Musk responded, “No!” before ducking into a Tesla with his security detail in tow.
WATCH:
Musk went viral this week after he went directly at President Joe Biden.
The Biden administration is marching forward with plans to build a network of publicly funded charging stations for electric vehicles. Musk, the CEO of Tesla, reminded Biden that his company has been at the forefront of that fight.
Biden took to Twitter to boast about what he claims his administration has been planning, writing: “We’re building 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations across the country. The great American road trip will be fully electrified.”
According to a news release from the Department of Transportation, “The Biden-Harris Administration today announced it has approved Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plans for all 50 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico ahead of schedule under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, established and funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With this approval, all states now have access to all FY22 and FY23 NEVI formula funding, totaling more than $1.5 billion to help build EV chargers covering approximately 75,000 miles of highway across the country. The NEVI formula funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which makes $5 billion available over five years, will help build a convenient, reliable, and affordable EV charging network across the country. President Biden’s commitment to making electric vehicles and EV charging accessible to all Americans is critical to fighting the climate crisis and is generating an electric vehicle manufacturing boom across the country.”
Musk, whose Tesla charging network is already completed, immediately fired back at Biden: “Or you can just buy a Tesla.”
Or you can just buy a Tesla
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 4, 2022
“America led the original automotive revolution in the last century, and today, thanks to the historic resources in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re poised to lead in the 21st century with electric vehicles,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We have approved plans for all 50 States, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia to help ensure that Americans in every part of the country – from the largest cities to the most rural communities—can be positioned to unlock the savings and benefits of electric vehicles.”
“Every single state, D.C. and Puerto Rico are working to leverage the investments from the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand domestic electric vehicle charging across America,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “President Biden is leading the shift to electrify transportation—ensuring drivers can commute and charge confidently and affordably, and lessening our oversized reliance on fossil fuels while combatting climate change.”
“With this greenlight, States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico can ramp up their work to build out EV charging networks that will make driving an EV more convenient and affordable for their residents and will serve as the backbone of our national EV charging network,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack. “The Federal Highway Administration will continue to work closely with States as we implement this historic funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to bring President Biden’s vision for a national electric vehicle network to communities across America.”
While the Biden administration is talking about what they want to accomplish, Musk has already been there and done that.
As noted by CNN, Tesla currently has the largest network of chargers in North America and has recently tried to encourage other makers of electric vehicles to make their vehicles compatible with Musk’s Tesla network.
