President Biden on Tuesday drove the new F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck on a Michigan test track — and jokingly threatened to run over reporters if they asked about the conflict in Gaza.
Biden, in the driver’s seat, said through an open side window, “This sucker’s quick.”
The unscheduled test drive followed indoor remarks at a Ford facility in which Biden pushed for federal subsidies for electric vehicles.
President Joe Biden behind the wheel of a Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck in Dearborn, Michigan on May 18, 2021. REUTERS/Leah MillisWhen reporters asked Biden if they could ask him about the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, Biden said: “No, you can’t. Not unless you get in front of the car as I step on it. I’m only teasing.”
Biden then said, “Okay, here we go, ready?” and floored the truck down an empty testing track. He turned around and honked at reporters on his return.
Ford is attempting to promote its electric truck to the largely male and conservative-leaning pickup market, which generally is seen as less keen on electric vehicles than wealthy suburban owners of Teslas and Priuses.
President Biden took the new electric truck for a spin on a visit at a Ford facility on May 18, 2021. REUTERS/Leah Millis
President Joe Biden talking to the media from the front seat of the truck on May 18, 2021. AP Photo/Evan Vucci
President Biden remarked the “sucker’s quick” after driving the truck. AP Photo/Evan VucciBiden, whose $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan calls for $174 billion in electric vehicle subsidies, told reporters the truck can reach 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds.
A Ford representative told reporters that the information on acceleration wasn’t supposed to be public until an official vehicle launch Wednesday, but laughed off Biden’s leak.
