Joe Biden traveled to Michigan this week to visit the Ford electric vehicle plant. His visit also comes amidst planned protests regarding the situation in Israel and Palestine.
Biden visited the Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan Tuesday. Prior to visiting the plant, he met with Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Debbie Dingell. Biden’s visit to the plant comes ahead of the company’s plans to unveil an electric F-150 lightning pickup truck, which he was seen taking for a test drive within the facility.
The vehicle was built by the United Auto Workers union, whom Biden notes got him elected to the Senate. Biden also addressed Tlaib, who is Palestinian-American, regarding the situation in the region, the ongoing violence that led to many Palestinian fatalities due to Israeli airstrikes. Tlaib is among those who are most outspoken regarding the crisis.
Amidst Biden’s visit to the plant, there have been planned protests in Dearborn, which has one of the biggest Arab-American population centers in the US. A protest was scheduled at the Dearborn Police Station, against Biden’s continued support of Israel.
In his remarks, Biden said that the future of the auto industry lies in electric vehicles, in part of his push for support for the trillion-dollar infrastructure plan. Biden also took a swipe at his predecessor’s administration for not focusing on the development of electric vehicles, while also noting that China is leading in the development of electric vehicles.
“We’re honored to host President Biden at Ford Motor Company and excited to preview for him the new F-150 Lightning and the exciting technologies that made it possible,” said Ford Manager for Government and Public Policy Communications Melissa Miller. “Electrifying America’s best-selling vehicle is a milestone in our country’s transition to cleaner transportation.”
In other news, Biden is set to sign the Anti-Asian Hate Crimes bill into law this week. The legislation aims to deter the spike in hate crimes against Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. Congress approved the bill in a bipartisan vote of 364-62, which will fast track the DOJ and make grants available to help local law enforcement agencies improve their efforts in investigating, identifying, and reporting incidents that have been driven by bias that go unreported.