President Joe Biden test drove an all-electric Cadillac SUV and slid into the front seat of a new Corvette as part of a mid-day tour Wednesday of Detroit's resurrected auto show ahead of an afternoon speech on the auto industry's transition to electric vehicles.
In an address on media day at the North American International Auto Show, Biden announced $900 million in grants for electric vehicle chargers across 35 states, including Michigan, the first round of $5 billion in funding appropriated through the bipartisan infrastructure law.
"You all are going to be part of a network of 500,000 charging stations ... installed by the IBEW (labor union), who I owe a special thanks to for the last election," the Democratic president said.
Biden added: "The great American road trip is going to be fully electrified whether you're driving along the coast ... or on I-75 here in Michigan."
On the auto show floor at Huntington Place, Biden, a self-described "car guy" who owns a 1967 Corvette Stingray, made his way over to the Chevrolet stand late Wednesday morning, where he was greeted by General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra and GM President Mark Reuss before he slid into the front seat of an orange Corvette Z06.
“He says he’s driving home,” Barra said.
Biden also checked out the new Chevrolet Silverado EV with Barra. GM will start assembling the all-electric pickup truck early next year at Factory Zero, the automaker's Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant.
At Ford Motor Co.'s stand, the president toured the Blue Oval's metal with Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. Biden and the great-grandson of Henry Ford looked at an electric Ford E-Transit utility van.
Biden then moved on to the Stellantis display, where CEO Carlos Tavares showed Biden a Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV that is assembled at the automaker's Mack Avenue plant in Detroit.
Biden also got to drive the Cadillac Lyriq, the luxury GM brand's first battery-powered SUV, for a short distance down a carpeted section of the auto floor inside Detroit's riverfront convention center.
"I like the Corvette," Biden told reporters from the front seat of the Lyriq.
With a Secret Service agent riding shotgun in the Cadillac EV, the president signaled his preference for Chevy's muscle car.
"It's a beautiful car but I love the Corvette," Biden said.
The Democratic president was joined on the auto show floor with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Rep. Debbie Dingell of Dearborn, all Democrats. United Auto Workers President Ray Curry and White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy also joined the tour.
In his remarks, Biden credited Whitmer for inviting him to tour the auto show.
"Just looking at them and driving them gives me a sense of optimism, although I like the speed too," Biden said.
Biden's auto show speech focused on how "his auto vision and leadership" has put the United States on the path to lead the future global electric vehicle market, according to White House officials.
Biden arrived at Detroit Metro Airport aboard Air Force One just after 10:30 a.m. He was greeted on the tarmac by U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat from Detroit, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.
Six members of Michigan's delegation traveled to Detroit on Wednesday morning with Biden on Air Force One. They include Stabenow, D-Lansing; U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, a Republican; and Democratic Reps. Haley Stevens, Andy Levin and Brenda Lawrence.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday also will tour the North American International Auto Show, held in downtown Detroit for the first time in more than three years after the coronavirus pandemic interrupted the annual gathering.
Mike Regan, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, also will be part of the president's entourage at the auto show at Huntington Place, formerly known as TCF Center.
Biden's visit is part of a nationwide tour of leading administration officials promoting three major pieces of legislation that will boost clean energy infrastructure and research, including pouring billions into accelerating EV adoption, as Democrats head into the midterm elections this November.
The infrastructure law that passed last year appropriated $550 billion for highways, bridges, transit, broadband and other infrastructure investments, including EV chargers.
The CHIPs and Science Act designated $52 billion for domestic semiconductor chip production, a crucial component for electric vehicles that has been in short supply since the pandemic began.
The "Inflation Reduction Act" passed just last month included expanded tax credits and grants for EV manufacturing and revamped a tax credit for EV buyers, though industry advocates say many vehicles won't qualify for the expanded credits for a few years due to stringent domestic content requirements.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also touted the legislation on Thursday at the Ford Motor Co. Rouge Electric Vehicle Center. Biden is also scheduled to attend a Democratic National Committee reception in Detroit Wednesday afternoon before returning to Washington.
The officials aim to illustrate how the investments have bolstered the economy as it emerges from the pandemic, hoping to ease voters' concerns as the nation heads into a competitive midterm election cycle.
Democrats are facing voters who are experiencing a mixed economic outlook: Gas prices have been easing for weeks, but inflation remains high. The consumer price index, which tracks price changes in a wide variety of goods and services, increased 0.1% in August and 8.3% over the last year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data reported Tuesday.
The Federal Reserve is expected to continue to raise interest rates to bring inflation under control, but that has raised fears of a recession as regulators throw cold water on an overheating economy.
Democrats have argued that infrastructure and clean energy investments will create jobs in the long run and improve national security by bringing supply chains closer to home. Republicans have raised concerns that the spending bills will further increase inflationary pressures.
