Kamala Harris says Biden made 'big mistake' by not inviting Musk to EV event in 2021

Former Vice President Kamala Harris said her onetime boss, former President Joe Biden, made a "big mistake" by not inviting Tesla CEO Elon Musk to a 2021 White House event on electric vehicles. 

In August 2021, Biden hosted an EV event at the White House with executives from General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, but Musk was not invited, despite Tesla being the nation's leading EV manufacturer. 

"I write in the book that I thought it was a big mistake to not invite Elon Musk when we did a big EV event," Harris told Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell on Tuesday at the news outlet's Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, D.C., referring to her memoir, "107 Days," in which she criticized Biden for initially running for re-election despite his health struggles.

"I mean, here he is, the major American manufacturer of extraordinary innovation in this space," Harris said of Musk, who is also the CEO of SpaceX.

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Musk's snub was widely viewed as an effort to support the United Auto Workers and organized labor overall, since Tesla plants are not unionized. Harris wrote in her book that she believed Biden was "sending a message about Musk's anti-union stance" but that she thought excluding him as the top player in the field "simply doesn't make sense."

Then–White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the event featured "the three largest employers of the United Auto Workers," emphasizing that Tesla's workers are not unionized.

Pressed on whether Musk's snub was punishment for his workers not being unionized, Psaki told reporters: "I'll let you draw your own conclusion."

The Biden administration defended inviting only those automakers, calling them key partners in the president’s push for union jobs.

Harris said that presidents should "put aside political loyalties" when it comes to recognizing technological innovation.

"So, I thought that was a mistake, and I don’t know Elon Musk, but I have to assume that that was something that hit him hard and had an impact on his perspective," she said.

Musk did appear to take offense after he was not invited to the event, taking numerous jabs at Biden.

"Yeah, seems odd that Tesla wasn’t invited," Musk wrote at the time on social media.

A month later, he said the Biden administration appeared to be "controlled by unions" and was "not the friendliest administration."

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After Musk learned Tesla would not be invited, administration officials offered an apology, according to The Wall Street Journal. Biden aides later attempted to soothe things over, but tensions remained.

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Harris' comments on Tuesday mirrored a passage from her new book in which she wrote that the Biden administration’s move not to include Tesla was a mistake and that it appeared to alienate Musk, who later became one of current President Donald Trump’s top financial backers.

"Musk never forgave it," she wrote.

Musk later endorsed Trump in the 2024 election and contributed roughly $300 million toward Republican campaign efforts. 

Illinois State University teacher's assistant flips Turning Point USA table, tears down flyers: 'Jesus did it'

An Illinois State University faculty member was arrested after he was accused of flipping a Turning Point USA student group's table and tearing down promotional flyers on campus last week.

Derek Lopez, a 27-year-old graduate student and teaching assistant at the university, was captured on camera speaking to a man standing near the table set up by students in the conservative group to promote political comedian Alex Stein’s upcoming event at the institution, before he then tossed the table, video shows.

"Well, you know, Jesus did it, so you know I gotta do it, right?" Lopez told the man before he was seen flipping the table over.

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"Thanks guys, have a great day," he later sneers as he waves and leaves the area.

Lopez also allegedly disrupted a second informational table hosted by a student group, according to Illinois State University Police.

He was arrested on Friday and faces charges for disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property. Police said the case is pending and may be grounds for additional charges and university disciplinary action.

"We are committed to protecting the First Amendment rights as well as safety of everyone in our campus community," Police Chief Aaron Woodruff said in a statement.

"We encourage all members of our community to learn more about free speech rights and responsibilities at Illinois State University, including constructive ways to respond when encountering speech they may disagree with," the statement continued.

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Turning Point USA was co-founded by conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was murdered during an event at Utah Valley University last month.

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