Tesla CEO Elon Musk has invited the United Auto Workers (UAW) to hold a union vote at the company’s facility in Fremont, California. While this may fool you into believing the executive has had a change of heart in regard to unionization, Musk seems to be inviting the labor group into a trap to dunk on his political enemies.
It’s no secret that there’s been bad blood between Tesla and the Biden administration. The White House has repeatedly left the automaker out of its discussions pertaining to industry regulation and proposed additional financial incentives for automakers using unionized labor to build electric vehicles. As the world’s largest purveyor of EVs by far, Musk believes his organization deserves some acknowledgment and has noted that the UAW is one of the Democratic Party’s staunchest allies. He’s asking for the vote in Fremont because he clearly thinks it will fail.
If you want some background for how we got to this point, here is some light reading with the relevant hyperlinks.
The UAW has been hoping to make inroads with Tesla for years and Musk has been openly opposed to the idea. He also butted heads with California and Alameda County over COVID restrictions in 2020, with the CEO telling employees they could do as they pleased but that the company wanted to avoid production stalls. This encouraged Tesla to lay fresh roots in Texas, with Musk suggesting California was becoming too restrictive.
Despite openly describing himself as “socially liberal but fiscally conservative,” Elon has enjoyed what can be favorably described as a combative relationship with the Biden administration. He has frequently criticized the Build Back Better Act, noting that the proposed legislation would give serious advantages to legacy automakers with ties to the UAW. Though he didn’t want Tesla to receive more government incentives. As an alternative, Musk proposed allowing the existing EV tax credit system (which Tesla is now ineligible for) to run its course as he bemoaned Build Back Better as financially irresponsible.
The White House has been less direct by comparison, frequently acting like Tesla doesn’t even exist. It’s sort of a bewildering play when you consider Tesla has the highest valuation of any American automaker and seems wholly aligned with Biden’s pro-EV agenda. But it’s been assumed that Musk’s repeated opposition to having the UAW inside his factories has played a significant factor. So we end up seeing Ford and General Motors executives being called up for talks in the Oval Office and being praised during press events, rather than Tesla.
Bloomberg said as much last month, then it continued the story after Musk issued his dare to the union over social media following the White House’s praising of GM:
Biden has repeatedly left Tesla off the the guest lists and out of the prepared remarks he’s made promoting America’s EV industry. He’s instead praised General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., which make and sell fewer electric cars but employ tens of thousands of UAW workers. Bloomberg News reported last month that the president’s antipathy toward Tesla mainly has to do with Musk’s hostility toward unions.
The National Labor Relations Board ruled last year that Tesla had repeatedly violated U.S. labor law, including by firing a union activist, and needed to make Musk delete a May 2018 tweet that suggested workers would give up company-paid stock if they chose to unionize. Tesla appealed and has argued Musk’s tweet was protected by the First Amendment.
On Monday, Elon had responded to Joe Biden’s social media — addressing it to the “person controlling this twitter” — stating that Tesla had created over 50,000 U.S. jobs while building more EVs than GM and Ford combined. This was quickly met with supportive criticism from Gene Simmons of KISS fame, who accused the Biden admin of snubbing Tesla for its anti-union stance. Further backed by Tesla owners sharing stories about UAW corruption, the fact that Ford builds the Mach-E in Mexico, and claims that Fremont workers received the highest compensation in the country, Musk came back suggesting they might as well hold a vote to see what happens.
“Our real challenge is Bay Area has negative unemployment, so if we don’t treat and compensate our (awesome) people well, they have many other offers and will just leave! I’d like hereby to invite UAW to hold a union vote at their convenience,” he said. “Tesla will do nothing to stop them.”
This is petty drama, to be sure. But it’s interesting how often that ends up influencing the industry and its ongoing relationship with the government.
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“…supportive criticism from Gene Simmons of KISS fame, who accused the Biden admin of snubbing Tesla for its anti-union stance.”
Oh, God, not Gene Simmons! Next thing you know, Ted Nugent will be threatening to leave the country (again). How will the Biden Administration and western civilization survive without the stalwart support of every old-as-f**k rocker?
(Seriously, Musk is right on this one – tying EV incentives to unionization was a foolish move on the administration’s part. Losing this provision might help get BBB passed.)
“Oh, God, not Gene Simmons!”
Yes because Gene Simmons isn’t a wildly successful business man.
Musk is a blowhard but good for him for standing up to the UAW. Yet another deplorable organization that is as corrupt as they come. Good for Elon for keeping them out.
Brandon tying EV incentives to union status was yet another incredibly dumb move and proves how this isn’t about advancing EVs and rather just trying to infect more companies with unions.
heyyyyy guess who else WASNT a wildly successful business man
@EBFeck: “Your ignorance is astounding.”
Goshy gee, I think you missed that this was a joke. Relax before you strain something, bro.
“ Goshy gee, I think you missed that this was a joke. Relax before you strain something, bro.”
That’s a lame attempt at a cover up. My guess is you have no idea how successful Gene Simmons was when you made that comment.
It’s clear some of the snowflakes can’t separate Gene Simmons the act from Gene Simmons the business man. He’s he’s narcissistic and that’s probably a huge reason behind his amazing success. That and Paul Stanley
@EBFlex, “Yes because Gene Simmons isn’t a wildly successful business man.”
I was introduced to Gene Simmons through his interview on Fresh Air with Terry Gross. (I’m too young to remember the peak of KISS’s popularity.)
He did not act like a respectable businessman in that interview. While I Terry’s guests usually end up looking better by end of the interview, I had a very negative impression of Gene Simmons by the end of that interview. What a jerk.
The members of KISS are millionaires, but men in makeup are still… ah… no thank you.
“How will the Biden Administration and western civilization survive without the stalwart support of every old-as-f**k rocker?”
I thought we were done talking about Neil Young
But with respect to Musk, the administration leaving the company that sells the most EV’s out of the discussion is just plain Petty on Biden’s part.
Probably the only decision he was allowed to make himself on the subject.
@Art: I was done with Neil Young in, like, 1984, right around the time I stopped smoking dope daily.
If I have to pick a Canadian Rocker, I am picking Alanis Morissete. But Gordon Lightfoot > Neil Young. I really tried to like Joni Mitchell, but that’s also a no from me unless she is singing Jazz.
When it comes to Canadian rockers, I was more into April Wine, Trooper, and Triumph. Throw in BTO, Burton Cummins, and Prism.
Every interview with Gene Simon’s left me with the impression that he is an arrogant azz.
Kind of explains some of your other comments…. stroke maybe?
He’s a great musician and song writer – do you consider this a badge of honor or something. Smoke more dope.
If you say it a third time, maybe your post will come true!
“How will the Biden Administration and western civilization survive without the stalwart support of every old-as-f**k rocker?”
I’ve wondered how we’ve survived WITH them. They spent their prime years soaked in drugs, alcohol and debauchery – why aren’t they dead yet?
We are at a point in time where Rockers will start dying of “natural” causes.
They already are dying of natural causes. The new name is “Geriatric Rockers” which will “Ensure” their place in history which “Depends” on the future.
In fact, Nikki Sixx DID die – for a couple of minutes. Then he wrote a song about it.
youtube.com/watch?v=NrOemQaEJGU
I have zero clue how anyone in the Crue is alive.
Ok, I did not know that about that song! Should have read the lyric sheet instead of just cranking it and yelling out the lyrics when I was 18.
Watch “The Dirt” if you get a chance. I have no idea how any of them survived.
Yeah, I am starting to think Doctor Feelgood wasn’t actually an M.D.
Speak for yourself. As one who came of age in the early to mid 90’s, most of the rockers of my generation are dead.
Ah well, the brightest stars burn out the quickest.
Now I am off to listen to some Alice in Chains.
Simmons and Nugent are notable exceptions. They never did drugs, drank, or smoked. Women on the other hand…
Taking political advice from a rocker, athlete or other celebrity is as nonsensical as taking medical or scientific advice from the My Pillow Guy or Joe Rogan. Just because somebody is ‘successful’ in one endeavour does not give them credibility or knowledge of other subjects.
Particularly when most of them do not have any ‘advanced’ educational credentials.
It is the same as having someone who has never had a drivers license or owned a vehicle telling you which car to buy.
Depends on the celeb. Most are loudmouthed dweebs, but there are a few who are pretty well spoken. Just saw Kareem Abdul-Jabbar commenting on the Ukraine situation the other day – yes, the transition from baller to political commentator is a stretch, but he had some good, well thought out points. Tom Selleck is worth a listen, even though I don’t agree with him.
Then we have the Ted Nugents/Alec Baldwins/Ariana Grandes of the world, who make about as much sense as a dog quoting Shakespeare while on peyote.
@Arthur Dailey – ironic how people will trust a mass media celebrity but not a bonified expert.
A new poll shows 86% of Canadians support Ukraine and only 73% of Americans. That confirms my previous comment.
“ Depends on the celeb. Most are loudmouthed dweebs, but there are a few who are pretty well spoken.”
Translation, I only agree with the well spoken ones because they follow my same, misguided, liberal political views
Bona fide = genuine, real, trustworthy. Bonified: Madonna, Kim Kardashian and Catherine Walters.
I think tying incentives to NOT being a robber baron son of a slaver industrialist is a pretty solid move.
Ohhhh you’re one of them lol.
“Your relative did something so you need to be punished!”
I’d never buy a Tesla (no analog controls, dinking with the car via wifi), but I have to admit that Musk is the greatest African-American business figure we have today.
That’s a good point. Kinda racist to shun the company of an African American immigrant. But then, Biden has always been an unapologetic, brazen racist.
I believe that you both are slightly incorrect. Elon Musk holds Canadian citizenship. His mother is a Canadian and he attended Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario for 2 years.
“ I believe that you both are slightly incorrect. Elon Musk holds Canadian citizenship. ”
He was born in South Africa. He became a US citizen in 2002.
Calling President Biden racist completely undermines your credibility. What kind of racist would nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court? Dumping on Democrats (or anyone else, for that matter) with insults and blatant untruths only convinces the gullible and uneducated.
“ Calling President Biden racist completely undermines your credibility.”
But, inconveniently for you, it’s the truth. He has a long and well documented history of blatant racism.
He eulogized a klan member. The crime bill. Bussing.
I will not buy a Tesla as well but I respect his position on the Unions. The old rockers are not the only ones that smoke rope Elon himself is known to take a few drags. Possibly explains why the Cybertruck looks the way it does.
It would be just like America to have the greatest African American businessman be white guy.
Yes it was all by design.
But way to reduce his heritage and race down to his skin color. That’s so woke of you
The reasons for UAW failures to launch at other mfrs are many: – workers are fairly paid – working conditions are generally safe, and regulated by government oversight – the internet and social media can notify the world about problems with pay, benefits, and working conditions. Heck, I’ve read some here. Mfrs can’t keep secrets anymore.
The UAW knows these things, but persists because they no longer exist to protect workers, but rather to empower and enrich union bosses.
A failed vote will be humorous to watch. So what will the UAW do next?
Industrial Relations students are taught that ‘a company gets the union that it deserves’.
If an organization treats its workers relatively well, provides some degree of job security, take safety seriously and pays ‘competitively’ then the workers will most likely not take the time and effort to organize.
Distributive justice (compensating fairly) and procedural justice (treating workers fairly) are crucial to maintaining good employee relations.
@Arthur– Bill of Curious Cars did a review today of a really nice survivor 1976 Lincoln Mark IV Cartier edition with 70k miles. I thought you might want to view it since you like the Marks. Also Adam on Rare Classic cars has a video on his beautiful 1972 Mark IV and on his 1969 Lincoln Mark III.
@JeffS: Thanks very much for that information. Will look those up on the weekend.
My former employer operated a unionized OEM automotive coatings plant in Cincinnati. One day, the workers left things in an unstable condition in a process while going to the contracted break time. The plant blew up and leveled a city block (it’s now a parking lot for the University of Cincinnati). My former employer went searching for an alternate site in Indiana – the union followed – and decided to instead to purchase and expand another chemical plant in the cornfields of Ohio using the insurance payout from the explosion. The company vastly expanded this cornfield plant as a non-union manufacturing site with 10% plus higher wages for the employees. The union attempted to organize this site but has never gained any traction with the workers – the safety culture is much more rigorous and the corporate benefits shared by all, management and workers alike, are excellent.
It seems that OSHA found the cause of the explosion to be other that those lazy , apathetic unionized employees. Nice try, troll. Seems BASF has a less than stellar safety record. From the OSHA investigation: It appeared that the reactor was not vented to a safe location and had primitive temperature controls, and the company did not enforce the mandatory attendance of operators at the reactors during operation. All of these factors, including minimal operating procedures (none specifically for cleaning), led to the explosion and the resulting extensive injuries and property damage.
So you’d agree that having a union at that plant didn’t prevent the explosion.
Yep, you’re quoting from the OSHA report. The report is essentially correct. What is not stated in the report was the chain of events over a long period of time between the union and management which allowed this event to occur. The “apathetic unionized employees” that you allude to (your words, not mine) did, indeed, have a large hand in the event. I know a bit more about this than from merely doing a Google search and I worked with several of the affected employees, many of them “apathetic union employees” (again, your words) that moved to the cornfield plant. They related the events of that day in detail, one of them having saved a fellow employee from certain death. This event is listed in “1910.119 – Process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals.” along with Bophal, India and became the bible for operations of the company you mentioned. There have been no incidents of note since that event at the replacement/upgraded cornfield plant utilizing non-union employees since that day some 30 plus years ago regardless of a vastly increased production output utilizing similar and some much more hazardous processes and chemistry.
Canadian research and statistics demonstrate that unionized workplaces have more pro-active occupational health and safety policies. However union density is greater in high risk work environments such as mining, forestry, and healthcare than in less risky work environments such as retail and service industries. .
how much help does tesla need? he used up all his credits. having him at the meeting wouldnt have helped, unless they needed ideas how to substitute engineered parts with home depot wood molding and gorilla tape :)
Shouldn’t that be a plus? He took advantage of the incentives offered and became the most successful EV builder on the planet. Now he doesn’t need them any more and has even said he doesn’t want them, even though it would make his vehicles even more competitive in price. He would be the prime example of what the incentives could help other manufacturers do. Ford and GM have the same opportunity to take advantage of those incentives, but I suspect they won’t do as well as Tesla. No, the reason he is inconvenient and unwelcome is because Tesla is non union.
Is Musk so sure a UAW vote will fail, or is he prepared either way? He’s already moved Tesla headquarters to Texas, and is building a giga-factory near Austin. Wouldn’t an assembly plant near his headquarters make a lot of sense?
It may be that Musk can’t lose: the vote fails, or it wins and he shuts down the current assembly plant and exits high cost California for low cost Texas.
I don’t think the plant in Texas has the capacity to replace the Fremont facility at this point.
But if working conditions in Fremont are as peachy as Musk says they are, I’m sure the workers there will reject unionization.
This is true. Fremont is far and away the most productive facility in North America.
Tesla always can rely on their plant in China to make their vehicles except the illusive Cybertruck which they plan on making in Austin.
They’re making Model Ys in Austin before the Cybertruck.
The Austin Model Ys will be the 2nd generation of the vehicles, made with the 4680 structural battery pack and front/rear single-piece castings.
Those Model Ys will sell like CUVs in suburbia, and I except mine to be delivered this summer.
Once the Model Y deliveries begin in earnest, they’ll probably turn their product-develoment focus to the Cybertruck.
They’re making Model Ys in Austin before the Cybertruck.
The Austin Model Ys will be the 2nd generation of the vehicles, made with the 4680 structural battery pack and front/rear single-piece castings.
Those Model Ys will sell like CUVs in suburbia, and I except mine to be delivered this summer.
Once the Model Y deliveries begin in earnest, they’ll probably turn their product-develpment focus to the Cybertruck.
Maybe Biden snubbed Musk because Musk is a child / troll guilty of insider trading and stock manipulation? Just a thought.
Well, it’s not like Musk is Biden’s son or anything.
And he won’t give 10% to the Big Guy.
I would think his company being one of the 2 domestics to not need Uncle Sam’s help to make payroll would Ballance that out. Funny how Elon has burned through his credits and is now successful at selling them, as was the intent
Brandon should start every day with a phone call to Musk asking him for advice on how to run the country.
We’d be in much better shape than we are now, where we have to contemplate NUCLEAR ANNIHILATION–a worry that’s not crossed my mind in 40 years, until now.
But thank God, we don’t have those mean Trump tweets anymore…
NUCLEAR ANNIHILATION…oh my. Where’s my comfort blanket?
youtube.com/watch?v=tHxcPKvZFu4
We could have Trump praising Putin and offering him extra missiles and weapons for his smart move to invade Ukraine and Tucker Carlson praising Trump for it. While they are at it Trump would support Putin’s next step of invading Poland. Not crazy about either party but leave the dictators in Russia. I was less worried about Trump’s tweets than his actions which includes a love of dictators and a desire to have the same power.
As for Musk I have little respect for him and don’t agree with him except on the Unions.
All this after our Extremely Stable Genius tried dicking around with Ukraine’s military aid until they dug up dirt on his political rivals. Could this have convinced Putin we weren’t serious about helping the Ukranians? No way, dude…
And what about those YEARS spent crap-talking NATO? Could this have convinced Putin we weren’t committed to NATO?
Talk about “sending a signal to Putin”…Biden’s no Winston Churchill, but his predecessor left him a whole bag of flaming dogsh*t.
If it had been one of Trump’s sons who did what Hunter Biden did you’d be having a fit. If Trump had threatened to withhold billions in aid if the Ukrainians didn’t fire the prosecutor who was looking into the notoriously corrupt company that his son was making millions from for a no show job that he had no qualifications for except for being Trumps son, you’d call him corrupt. But because it’s Joe Biden’s son and because it was Joe Biden threatening to withhold the aid, and ultimately getting the prosecutor fired, not Trump, you say it’s just Trump digging up dirt. He wasn’t telling them to make stuff up, like Hillary’s people did, and they didn’t need to, because the Biden family is a bunch of grifters who’ve made millions selling influence, with 10% for the Big Guy.
@285: I had no problem with Trump investigating whether Hunter Biden was dirty – that’s the president’s job. I had a problem with the way it was done.
If Trump thought there was impropriety, then fine – have one of the 10 zillion brilliant young lawyers in the Justice Department talk to one of the 10 zillion brilliant young diplomats in the State Department, have them check it out with their Ukrainian counterparts, and come back to you with the results. If there’s impropriety, then prosecute it. If not, then don’t pursue. That way, you can say “it wasn’t political.”
But what you DON’T do is pressure Zelenskyy directly to investigate. That goes double for doing it in front of witnesses, and triple for withholding aid until Zelenskyy agreed to investigate.
Result? The question of Hunter Biden’s activities got overshadowed by Trump’s ham-fisted, clearly politically motivated behavior.
The argument surrounding all this was whether it was impeachable or not, but I think that overlooked the more important issue: the ineptitude of it all.
Net results? Trump took the spotlight right off Hunter Biden and put it on himself, so the question of Biden’s alleged corruption will never be answered.
And if you want to make a clear, unmistakable “we think Ukraine ain’t worth fighting for” signal to Putin, withholding aid to them over a domestic political rivalry is a great way to do it.
Trump had a real talent for shooting himself in the foot, and there’s no better example of that than this whole dumb episode. If he’d handled this right, he could have had a deadly political weapon against Hunter Biden’s dad; as it is, he handed the weapon to his opponents. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
@FreeMike–Agree. Trump even bragged about Putin and Kim Jong-un that they were in power for life and that he, Trump, would like the same. Trump also bragged that he could stand in Time Square and shoot people and he would still have support. How much more do people need to hear or do they think he is just joking. I have had differences with our past Presidents but I also felt that all our Presidents have had the best interests of the United States first. In my lifetime I have never heard a President praise a dictator and say that invading another country was a smart move. Agree Biden is no Winston Churchill but he is not giving verbal support to dictators and I believe he actually loves the United States and has the best interest of our country. My ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War to gain independence from Great Britain, had ancestors fight on both sides of the Civil War and one was captured and almost starved in a Confederate prison, and served in both World Wars. Each one of us should appreciate the freedom we have and how easily we can lose it if we are not willing to defend it. We can easily fall under the influences of a strong man. Do we want to go back to a Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and other despots who tried to rule the World. As imperfect a system we have I will take it over anything else and we at least have the freedom to protest when we disagree.
Jeff, when Biden said he wouldn’t react to a minor incursion, that didn’t give Putin a green light to go into the Ukraine? And Mike, you think that the problem isn’t that the Bidens are corrupt, but that Trump didn’t abuse his power to direct the DOJ to conduct an investigation of a political opponent, not in the US, but in another country? Biden laughed, and bragged that he got the son of a b**** fired, but Trump is the one who ham fistedly threatened a foreign country for his benefit? The Ukrainians didn’t investigate the Bidens when Trump wanted them to, but they fired the prosecutor who was when Biden gave them a few billion reasons to. It’s not that the Bidens are corrupt, you don’t like Trump’s style? Yeah, corruption is ok if you do it with style.
@285–I have a problem with any elected official that admires dictators and states that he would like to have the same power. I also have an issue with anyone who states publicly that he could shoot someone and would be cheered. Also how come the prosecutors in New York that were preparing to indict Trump suddenly drop the case? Usually when a case is dropped there is an explanation but it was sudden with not a word. Were these prosecutors threatened? Trump has a reputation for doing illegal acts and strong arming. What about the votes in Georgia where Trump was on tape asking for the votes to be fixed. You might think that Trump is great and if he did shoot someone cheer him on but he is dangerous to our freedom. The Germans cheered on Hitler and gave him unlimited powers and look what happened. Mussolini was cheered on as well. When White Supremacists, Neo-Nazis, Ku Klutz Klan;, and Proud Boys support a candidate I have a problem with that candidate. This is not an issue of left versus right or Democrat versus Republican. We are in danger of losing our freedom. If Biden’s son is guilty then why didn’t the Attorney General under Trump investigate and bring charges against him? Biden is far from perfect but I never heard him say he could shoot someone and be cheered on nor have I heard him heap glowing praise for a dictator.
@285: Directing the Justice department to conduct an investigation isn’t abuse of power – it’s going through channels. If that’s the course of action Trump had taken, he a) wouldn’t have been impeached, and b) we might have some actual answers as to whether the Bidens are corrupt or not, versus a bunch of media conjecture.
So, yeah, it’s on Trump. He was captain of the ship.
With respect to Presidents not letting Ukraine into NATO, doesn’t every one back to Clinton get some of that credit?
And let’s be honest, the last President to get Russia correct was Reagan.
Yes and Reagan did not heap glowing praise on dictators, state he could shoot someone and be cheered, and try to fix votes. Reagan conducted himself respectfully as a President and put the United States above any of his own interests. I voted for Reagan twice and yes he was not perfect. Reagan also did not denigrate our allies or NATO.
Completely agree that the chain of custody failure on this goes a LONG way back. But the best info I can find indicated Ukraine didn’t request NATO membership until 2008.
Well, given the administration that was elected in 2008 and 2020, one could look at this as the chickens coming home to roost. Perhaps that “flexibility” that the 2008 guy was speaking to Putin about was not letting Ukraine into NATO?
“ We could have Trump praising Putin and offering him extra missiles and weapons for his smart move to invade Ukraine and Tucker Carlson praising Trump for it”
Yeah none of that actually happened. Context matters, but man liberals love to cherry pick sound bites.
PS…..Trump is 100% correct. Putin is smart and savvy. That’s what makes him dangerous. To assert otherwise would be, well, deadly.
Sure, there would be no NUCLEAR ANNIHILATION if Trump was president… instead he’d just let his idol Putin take over any country Putin wanted, including the US… so no need for nukes.
Either Trump is a complete idiot for his continued praise of Putin, or Putin has evidence on Trump that Trump certainly does want made public, or both.
@Argistat–Agree it could be either one but I think it is more like Trump admires Putin’s power and would like to have the same power. My fear is the Republicans are afraid of retaliation from Trump if they say anything that would upset him. This is one reason no Republican when asked would say that they didn’t agree with Trump’s statement that it was a smart move for Putin to invade Ukraine and why Kevin McCarthy went to Mara logo to pay homage to Trump. Thanks to McCarthy he just made Trump relevant again and revitalized his political future. For most of my life I have voted Republican even though I consider myself an Independent but I cannot support someone who swoons over despots.
I did a write-in vote for Ronald Reagan in 2016 election (I am not joking), and voted against Trump in 2020. After 2015, the only reason I’m still a registered Republican (for many decades) is so I can vote against Trump and anyone similar to him in primary elections.
I routinely write in President Andrew Jackson for Dims running unopposed.
I was hoping in 2016 John Kasich would be the nominee but he was so far behind in the Primaries that he didn’t stand a chance. John Kasich was a good Governor in Ohio and a decent Congressman. Cannot stand Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Nickki Haley and Ron DeSantis. There are few if any moderates left in the Republican Party and almost no real conservatives. Mike Dewine has been a decent Governor for Ohio but I doubt he wants to run and he is 75 years old. I voted for Biden because of Trump but I would like to see a younger moderate candidate along the lines of Adam Kinzinger which his leaving Congress is a real blow to any hopes of a competent moderate conservative Republican.
Also believe that Trump was promoting Trump Enterprise and their real estate holdings and many of customers are the Russian Oligarchs and Trump has visited Russia with a desire to build in Russia. Trump has repeatedly refused to disclose financial information on himself and Trump Enterprise.
Donald Trump has pursued business deals in Russia since 1987, and has sometimes traveled there to explore potential business opportunities. In 1996, Trump trademark applications were submitted for potential Russian real estate development deals. Trump’s partners and children have repeatedly visited Moscow, connecting with developers and government officials to explore joint venture opportunities. Trump was never able to successfully conclude any real estate deals in Russia. However, individual Russians have invested heavily in Trump properties, and following Trump’s bankruptcies in the 1990s he borrowed money from Russian sources. In 2008 his son Donald Trump Jr. said that Russia was an important source of money for the Trump businesses.
A Reuters investigation last year found that at least 63 individuals with Russian passports or addresses have bought at least $98.4 million worth of property in seven Trump-branded luxury towers in southern Florida, for instance. Reuters noted that its tally of Russian investors may be conservative. At least 703 — or about one-third — of the owners of the 2,044 units in the seven Trump buildings are limited liability companies, or LLCs, which have the ability to hide the identity of a property’s true owner.
“Also believe that Trump was promoting Trump Enterprise and their real estate holdings and many of customers are the Russian Oligarchs…”
You mean Trump has done business with Russians? Oh the horror. I also heard he once put Russian dressing on his salad.
Your post is a 237 word nothing burger.
So you don’t think Trump having business interests in Russia biased him in favor of Putin. As a President you are suppose to put your personal interest aside for the good of the country especially if you are the President. I could care less if something is named Russian. I don’t hate the Russians but I don’t believe being a buddy to Putin is in the best interest of the United States and cheering him on when he invades a country that doesn’t want him. Do you support Putin’s invasion of Ukraine? Would you like Putin to take control of the US?
Let’s be blunt: Putin owned and still owns Trump because nobody except Russian money launderers will write checks anymore to keep Trump’s money-losing family business afloat, and Putin could cut that funding off any time with a couple phone calls from the giant bank of phones he keeps as a memento of the USSR he misses so dearly. When DB finally cut Trump off, that put Trump’s ba!ls in a lined bag in Putin’s pocket.
Biden was honestly far more prepared than I expected him to be for this little adventure of Putin’s. He had all of the Europeans and a surprising number of the Global South countries lined up behind him, which is a genuinely difficult thing to accomplish, and he’s managed to impose real financial pain despite all of Putin’s attempts to sanction-proof Russia.
“You mean Trump has done business with Russians?”
It depends on which russians he’s having business with. Most of them are really good people. Some are definitely bad. If it’s the guy that lives at these target coordinates – I mean address, it’s not a good thing.
“…and cheering him on when he invades a country that doesn’t want him.”
Yours is typical leftie’s take on all things Trump: Let’s take the least charitable interpretation of his remarks, make a straw man out of it, set it on fire, and think we’ve done something smart.
Trump is a master persuader, and a master negotiator. To deny that is to deny reality. If you want to persuade a foreign leader in advance of a negotiation, you don’t start by insulting them and calling them evil. You start by complimenting them. To the extent that Trump was complimenting Putin, he was complimenting the man, not his action of invading Ukraine.
Russia understandably wants a security buffer; it’s not acceptable to Putin to have NATO troops and bases in Ukraine. He’s said this directly for 15 years. We chose to ignore his warnings. This situation is Russia’s Cuban Missile Crisis. Thankfully, Biden is not doing something stupid like instituting a no-fly zone over Ukraine which risks serious escalation.
You make much of Trump’s business dealings with Russia. Are you at all concerned with the Biden family’s business dealings in Ukraine? Like Hunter Biden’s board seat on a Ukrainian oil company, with 10% of his compensation kicked up to “the Big Guy.”
Calling Trump a “master negotiator” is like calling me, a 5’10” guy who makes about every third free throw and can jump maybe a foot in the air, a professional basketball player. The guy is and always has been an incompetent joker, who only has a business thanks to his dad, and people who can’t see that are easy marks.
“ Either Trump is a complete idiot for his continued praise of Putin”
Not sure if you can’t read or can’t hear but Trump has never exhibited “continued praise” for Putin. Putin is like Trudeau and Trump would rather those people not be in power.
You must REALLY like that photo. You’ve used it for what, 5 articles now? I have little to no opinion on the Wild Business Ventures of Rocket Man but it’s a little annoying seeing the exact same image pop up every time you put out one of these articles. At least with the USPS stuff we get a new angle of the LLV once a week.
Well, it’s probably a freebie – budget considerations, you know. After all, how much are we paying to read this site? Besides, the photo makes Musk look like a mischievous imp, and that pretty much fits most of his pronouncements.
Perhaps it’s a good way to help jump start the migration out of California for Tesla wholesale. If there was any party that would make anyone sympathetic to Musk, it would the state of CA and the UAW.
At least Musk created something. The last time the UAW did something worthwhile was decades ago and have beclowned their union and other unions through their corruption, selfishness and stupidity.
As for California, local and state leaders could and regularly do screw up a free lunch. To prove the point, here’s a quote from the recently ousted SF school board president on why she thinks she was recalled – remember, it’s SF voters to whom she is referring – “Don’t be mistaken, white supremacists are enjoying this. And the support of the recall is aligned with this.”
I know that when I think of white supremacists, I think of SF parents.
That’s CA political leadership.
And there in lies the dirty secret. Rich white liberals are all for fairness and equality of opportunity…until it comes to their neighborhood. Then they actually become White Supremacists.
That equality stuff is for those middle class school districts…not for whatever charter or magnet school that is basically a private public school that their kid and all of their friends seem to win the admission lotteries for.
So she was right, but not for the reason she thinks she was right.
So the School Board lady was correct,
Elon Musk did not create Tesla. It was founded in 2003 by American entrepreneurs Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning and was named after Serbian American inventor Nikola Tesla.
After reading this article again I have had time to think about what is behind Musk’s actions. I believe Musk might have plans to close the Fremont Plant and will use this as an excuse if the workers vote to go with the UAW. Since Tesla has other plants besides Fremont he can shift production to the Austin, China, or any other plant it has. Musk might plan on expanding his other plants to hedge against not only the possibility of the UAW but any additional regulations that California might put on Tesla. Musk’s actions might not be just political but planning for a future in a more hospital business environment.
Unions are one reason Biden is not a huge fan of Musk.
Dealerships are another reason. (Think about it.)
You could be right. Neither am I or a lot of others. Didn’t Biden’s father own a Chevy dealership in Delaware? As I stated above Biden is far from perfect.
Rump “outed” a spy in the Kremlin close to Putin. That spy would have been handy now.
That spy would have come in handy but Trump is Putin’s Puppet.
I registered for this website after reading through all your comments to this article, never before having been exposed to your particular brand of tendentious whataboutism and arrogance, just to leave a comment for you (unvarnished perspective of a stranger and all) urging you to seek psychological counseling to re-center your personality, because it is highly likely that the people who know you in real life secretly think you are deranged—especially about Trump, insufferable, generally pigheadedly disagreeable, and supremely grating on others nerves.
I imagine that the other regular commenters here are inured to their suffering under your steady stream of anti-Trump dementia, but potentially new readers like me are way turned off by a narcissist perched at the top of every comment thread dropping turds on everyone’s heads about his pet hobbyhorses.
Most important to this heady brew is your completely warped view of reality—I mean hell you’re on here talking about supporting John Kasich—fixated on a distorted version of history, bloviating asininity about Trump and Russia, genuinely not seeming to realize that your antipathy for Trump as a Russian sympathizer was Jedi-mind-tricked into you by Hilary Clinton and nefarious actors in the US intelligence community. You’re a patsy my man, and it’s a really bad look to be an identikit, arrogant patsy.
Anyone could sit here and try to disabuse you of your illusions, but you seem locked onto them so tightly, like a security blanket, that there’s no point. If you haven’t figured out by now that the entire Trump/Russia collusion narrative was a giant hoax brought to you by the Democrat party, you’re hopeless—but be a little more circumspect and, yes, QUIET about it, hey? The rest of us are trying to read about Elon Musk and the UAW and instead we got a pizz-stream of nonsense about Trump and Russia from you, a pitch perfect rendition of belligerent ignorance.
Hey man, anyone can look and see the record for themselves: Putin didn’t invade anywhere while Trump was in office, but he invaded Ukraine twice while Biden was at the switch, with his reprobate son taking millions, with the standard 10% kicked up to the big guy, from Russian oligarchs politically beholden to Putin. And you’re telling me, what, Russians aren’t allowed to buy condos in Florida? Give it a rest man!
I see Biden taking numerous actions that led to increased oil and gas profits for the Russian petrostate, and saw Trump doing the opposite. But I’m not so childish emotionally to go around convinced that Biden is a Manchurian candidate for Russia. But you are that childish with regard to Trump, who is many things, but not a sell-out to the USA. Say what you will about him, but don’t doubt his patriotism.
I saw Trump correctly seeking to establish a rational, mutually beneficial strategic relationship with Russia to help counterbalance China from a position of clear-eyed strength, with a renewed military, a stronger NATO, hydrocarbon independence and not green energy fantasies (subsidized, btw, in the West by Russian propaganda), and an independent space program, while first all the Obama retreads like Biden laughed off Russia, and then wildly overcorrected out of hysteria in the other direction. So, man, YOU’RE the dupe about Russia, not us, so have some humility and shut up with all your wrongheaded lectures to everyone within shouting distance about your fantasies about Trump.
Look’s like Jeff is living rent free inside of someone’s head. LOL
Glad to have you on the site.
“That spy would have come in handy but Trump is Putin’s Puppet.”
Imagine being that easily manipulated by the media. It’s no wonder why you cowards hid behind masks for two years and submitted to being injected with an experimental and rushed “vaccine”.
@EB Flex–Since you are such a big Trump supporter you can go over to Ukraine and fight with the Russians.
“Since you are such a big Trump supporter you can go over to Ukraine and fight with the Russians.”
Man, you are a dim bulb. Trump supporters are not in favor of the war. In fact, Trump was the only American president in the 21st century to NOT start a war on behalf of the United States. The whole point is that if Trump were still president, there would be no war.
And were Trump still president, we would not have suffered that humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan, leaving billions of dollars of U.S. equipment behind. We’d have left a few thousand troops there to maintain security and a strategic presence, like we have in Germany and South Korea. There hadn’t been any U.S. troops killed there in 18 months; there was no reason to pull out at that time, other than for Biden to please his left wing base.
Trump is not perfect; he wasn’t my first choice among the GOP field in 2016. He did not secure the southern border, he did nothing to drain the Swamp in Washington, he did nothing to secure the 2020 elections at the state level, and he runs his mouth at times when he should STFU. But I would take Trump in a nanosecond over the vegetable occupying the White House now. Polls back me up on this, as Trump’s popularity now exceeds that of Biden.
“to NOT start a war on behalf of the United States” He came close with Iran.
“In fact, Trump was the only American president in the 21st century to NOT start a war on behalf of the United States. ”
I guess declaring war on the peaceful transition of power in his own country doesn’t count. Right?
Thank God Trump didn’t start any wars. This is the guy who said this weekend that we should paint F22s in Chinese livery, and have them bomb Russia (oh, I forgot, that was locker room talk…har har). The same guy who said that Lysol should be investigated as a COVID cure. The same guy who sharpied-up a hurricane map. The same guy who tried to pressure the president of Ukraine to dig up dirt on his political opponents by withholding military aid (gee, think Putin was reading about THAT little episode?). And on and on. If he f**ked up with the war the same way he f**ked up all the other things he dropped the ball on, God help our troops.
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