President Biden on Friday shrugged off Elon Musk’s pessimistic outlook on the economy, wishing the Tesla and SpaceX founder “lots of luck on his trip to the moon.”
Musk reportedly wrote in an email to Tesla executives that he has a “super bad feeling” about the economy and that the company would need to slash 10 percent of its workforce. Biden was asked to respond to Musk’s comments after giving remarks on the May jobs report from Delaware.
The president pointed to new investments in electric vehicles from Ford that will create 6,000 new union jobs, as well as investments from Chrysler in electric vehicles and Intel in developing computer chips at a new factory.
“So, you know, lots of luck on his trip to the moon,” Biden said.
“Thanks Mr. President!” Musk responded on Twitter, linking to a story about NASA choosing SpaceX to take Americans to the moon.
The relationship between Musk and the White House has been tense at times. The White House frequently touts investments in electric vehicles and cleaner energy, but infrequently mentions Tesla, something Musk has taken note of.
Biden and his aides spent the morning Friday touting good news from the May jobs report, which showed the U.S added 390,000 jobs and the unemployment rate held even at 3.6 percent.
The White House has been grappling for months with rising prices, particularly for gasoline and food, and with concerns about a potential recession.