Musk called President Joe Biden a damp sock puppet in a human form on Thursday, as the stock of his company plummeted.
Musk's lack of restraint on social media is a feature not a bug, having landed him in legal hot water multiple times. Musk and Biden were part of a one-sided offensive waged against the president. Biden did not retaliate, at least not directly. The president and the White House both praised General GM and Ford for their work on developing electric vehicles. The world's biggest EV maker wasn't mentioned.
At a White House event on Wednesday, Biden heaped praise on the CEOs of GM, Ford and Cummins for their work on electric vehicles. It is not clear if Musk was invited to attend.
The world's wealthiest man was triggered by the snub. Musk didn't limit his anger to the schoolyard taunting of the president, but he did mention Biden's low approval ratings. He attacked the California Insurance Commissioner, saying he should be voted out of office, made odd comments about the United Nations, and praised the Canadian truck drivers who were protesting against the U.S. mandate.
John Coffee, a professor at Columbia University Law School, said that Musk was not a normal CEO. Even if he is correct in projecting Biden's eventual failure, he and his companies can still suffer. The SEC and other agencies regard Biden as a sworn enemy, so it won't involve any retaliation by Biden.
Attacks on Biden would be meaningless if Musk were a private citizen. The Securities and Exchange Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Labor Department are some of the federal agencies that have to stay in good graces.
The United Auto Workers support the Biden administration, which is why the anti-union stance ofTesla is a point of contention. The press secretary for Biden told reporters that the three largest employers of the United Auto Workers were excluded from the White House EV event.
NASA and the Defense Department have contracts with Musk's rocket company. The risk of creating unnecessary headaches for his companies is caused by his itchy fingers.
In addition to the SEC tussles that cost him the job of the chairman of the company and the $20 million fine for false statements, the NHTSA is conducting safety probes of the company. The company could be on the hook for costly recalls if the agency finds serious flaws.
The company didn't respond to the request for comment on Musk's statements. He eliminated the company's PR team.
Biden met with the CEOs on Wednesday to drum up support for his legislation. It happened just prior to the announcement of a record profit by the company.
Musk was prepared to pay any price to get rid of Biden. Musk lost $24.5 billion as the stock of his company tanked.
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