"US Manufacturing Revival" Biden Mentions Samsung Investment Again... Tesla Remarks Also Noted

President Joe Biden of the United States

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] U.S. President Joe Biden highlighted that manufacturing investment within the United States is actively taking place, citing Samsung's semiconductor investment as one example. Biden, who had been at odds with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, mentioned Tesla as an American electric vehicle manufacturer in an official setting for the first time.

According to Bloomberg and others on the 8th (local time), President Biden said in a speech at the White House that day, "We are seeing American manufacturing begin to revive," emphasizing, "This is not an exaggeration but a real situation." He added, "The world is at a turning point, and things will change significantly," noting, "This is one of those transitional moments."

Biden stated that since he took office last year, global companies have announced more than $200 billion in manufacturing investments in the U.S., introducing electric vehicle investment plans from General Motors (GM), Ford, and others. In the semiconductor sector, he mentioned Intel's U.S. investments along with Samsung Electronics and Taiwan's TSMC.

Samsung Electronics selected Taylor, Texas, as the site for its second U.S. foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) plant in November last year and decided to invest $17 billion. Construction is scheduled to begin in the first half of this year, with completion expected in 2024, featuring advanced processes. Earlier, during Intel's $20 billion investment announcement in Ohio on the 21st of last month, Biden also said in a speech, "Last year, large semiconductor companies like Samsung and Micron promised to build new facilities in the U.S. with an investment of $80 billion."

President Biden's speech that day was arranged to highlight Australian electric vehicle charger company 'Tritium' deciding to build its first factory in Tennessee. Tritium aims to produce 30,000 electric vehicle chargers annually at the Tennessee plant. Biden welcomed Tritium's investment news as good news not only for Tennessee but also for American and global workers.

Meanwhile, the part of Biden's remarks that attracted foreign media attention was his mention of Tesla. Biden included Tesla among American electric vehicle manufacturers such as GM, Ford, and Rivian while discussing the expansion of U.S. electric vehicle infrastructure. This is the first time Biden has mentioned Tesla in an official setting.

The Biden administration and Tesla have been at odds since last year. In August last year, when Biden announced the goal of converting 50% of new car sales in the U.S. to electric vehicles by 2030, Tesla was not invited to the electric vehicle industry leaders' meeting because it had not joined the United Auto Workers union. Since then, CEO Elon Musk has strongly criticized President Biden, calling him a "puppet."

When asked whether Biden's mention of Tesla indicated a change in tone, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded, "We all know Tesla is a major electric vehicle manufacturer," adding, "Clearly, the electric vehicle industry is one of the great opportunities for the U.S. as it moves toward its clean energy goals, and automakers are part of that effort."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.