总统乔·拜登推动电动汽车成为他的一部分基础设施计划周二，密歇根州迪尔伯恩的《展望更加绿色的未来》在宣传电动汽车的便利性时，给了公众一种罕见的总统坐在方向盘后面的景象。
在福特测试基地的一次计划外停留期间，拜登驾驶福特的F-150闪电皮卡进行测试，他停下来对记者说:“这个笨蛋真快。”
尼古拉斯·卡姆/法新社通过盖蒂图像
乔·拜登总统在亲爱的福特迪尔伯恩发展中心驾驶一辆F150电动卡车
拜登戴上他经典的飞行员墨镜，开着电动卡车穿过一片空地，然后告诉记者，坐在方向盘后面“感觉很好”，当被问及他是否会买一辆时，他回答说，“我会的”。一名特工坐在总统旁边的乘客座位上。
“我认为我们将在大约4.3，4.4秒内从0到60，”拜登说，然后再次展示了车辆加速的速度，似乎是把油门踩到底。他说他会以每小时80英里的速度踩下踏板。
埃文·武奇/美联社
乔·拜登总统在福特迪尔伯恩发展中心驾驶一辆F150闪电电动卡车
Leah Millis/路透社
乔·拜登总统在福特迪尔伯恩发展中心驾驶一辆F150闪电电动卡车
就在飞驰而去之前，当被美国广播公司首席新闻记者塞西莉亚·维加问及是否可以先问他一个关于以色列的问题时，拜登开玩笑说，“不，你不能。除非你在我踩车的时候跑到车前面。我只是调侃。”
在参观了福特胭脂电动车中心并发表讲话后，拜登警告说，美国需要加强与中国在关键领域的竞争。
埃文·武奇/美联社
乔·拜登总统在福特迪尔伯恩发展中心驾驶一辆F150闪电电动卡车
“看，汽车工业的未来是电动的。没有回头路可走，”拜登说。
“真正的问题是，在未来的竞争中，我们是会领先还是会落后，或者我们是会在美国制造这些车辆和电池，还是依赖其他国家，”他继续说。
拜登说，中国在美国曾经的“这场竞赛中处于领先地位”，并补充说，“我们不能让这种情况持续下去。”
随着总统阵亡将士纪念日的最后期限临近，围绕他的基础设施计划的谈判取得“重大进展”，拜登重申了他对两党合作的乐观态度，但表示他还没有看到任何进展反建议来自国会的共和党人。
“我们相信我们可以在基础设施上找到一个两党协议，我们期待听到他们的提议的更多细节，他们将在今天晚些时候或明天向我提交一份反提议。但我们清楚地表明了一点:我们会妥协，但什么也不做不是一种选择，”拜登说。“世界不会等待。”
拜登还对他的前任进行了挖苦，他说，在钻研自己的计划之前，特朗普政府经常在“基础设施周”进行抨击，但没有任何表现。
“他们宣布了基础设施周。他们宣布了，宣布了，宣布了，宣布了，宣布了——四年来每周都宣布——但什么也没做，”拜登说。
前总统唐纳德·特朗普也至少被拍到一次在方向盘后面——2017年“美国制造周”开始时，他爬进了一辆停在白宫车道上的消防车。特朗普问记者:“火在哪里?我会把它熄掉，”他一边模仿着驾驶急救车。
奥利维尔·杜利里/法新社，通过盖蒂图像，文件
唐纳德·特朗普总统坐在威斯康星州的一辆消防车上竖起大拇指
拜登周二在密歇根州阐述了他的计划的要点，包括他呼吁在全国建立数千个充电站，作为向电动汽车转变的一部分，并投资于制造、研究和开发。
拜登特别强调了美国目前的半导体短缺，警告说，美国需要确保未来不会发生这种短缺。拜登说，他也理解那些担心如果他投资绿色能源技术的计划获得通过，就会被落在后面的人，但他强调，情况不会是这样。
“我们不会留下任何人。拜登说:“我的美国就业计划中创造的近90%的工作不需要学士学位——75%不需要大专学历。
埃文·武奇/美联社
2021年5月18日，美国总统乔·拜登在参观完福特·鲁日电动汽车中心后发表讲话
在一次以许多“拜登主义”为标志并唤起他父亲智慧话语的演讲中，总统试图强调解决气候变化意味着创造新的就业机会。他还说，实现绿色能源目标有助于美国在全球舞台上的复兴。
他说:“如果我们采取行动拯救地球，我们可以创造数百万个高薪工作岗位，带来显著的经济增长和提高人民生活水平的机会，不仅在这里，而且在世界各地。”
Biden floors electric Ford truck in test drive as he pushes infrastructure plan
PresidentJoe Bidenpushed electric vehicles as part of hisinfrastructure planand vision for a greener future from Dearborn, Michigan, on Tuesday and in pitching the ease of electric, gave the public a rare visual of a president behind a steering wheel.
While test driving Ford's F-150 Lightning pickup during an unscheduled stop at a Ford testing site, Biden pulled up to reporters and said, "This sucker is quick."
Donning his classic aviator shades, Biden drove the electric truck through an empty lot, before telling reporters it "feels great" to be behind the wheel and answering, "I would," when asked if he would buy one. One Secret Service agent rode in the passenger seat alongside the president.
"I think that we're going 0 to 60 in about 4.3, 4.4," Biden said, before demonstrating again how quickly the vehicle can accelerate, appearing to push the gas pedal to the floor. He said he'd lay off the pedal at 80 mph.
Just before speeding off, asked by ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega if she could first ask him a question about Israel, Biden joked, "No, you can't. Not unless you get in front of the car as I step on it. I'm only teasing."
The pit stop came after touring the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center and delivering remarks there in which Biden warned that the U.S. needs to step up and compete with China in the critical field.
"Look, the future of the auto industry is electric. There's no turning back," Biden said.
"The real question is whether we'll lead or we'll fall behind in the race of the future, or whether we'll build these vehicles and the batteries that go in them here in the United States or rely on other countries," he continued.
Biden said China is "leading in this race" where the U.S. used to be, adding, "We can't let that be sustained."
As the president's Memorial Day deadline for "significant progress" on negotiation around his infrastructure plan rapidly approaches, Biden repeated his optimism that there could be bipartisanship but indicated he has yet to see anycounter proposalfrom Republicans in Congress.
"We believe we can find a bipartisan deal on infrastructure, and we look forward to hearing more details of their proposal which they're going to submit a counter proposal either later today or tomorrow to me. But we made one thing clear: we'll compromise, but doing nothing is not an option," Biden said. "The world is not waiting."
Biden also made a dig at his predecessor, hitting the Trump administration for their frequent "infrastructure weeks" with nothing to show for it, he said, before digging into his own plan.
"They announced infrastructure week. And they announced it, and announced it, and announced it, and announced it -- every week for four years -- and didn't do a thing," Biden said.
Former President Donald Trump was also photographed behind the steering wheel at least once -- when he climbed inside a fire truck parked in the White House driveway in 2017 during the start of "Made in America Week." Trump asked reporters, "Where's the fire? I'll put it out," while he mimicked driving the emergency vehicle.
Biden on Tuesday in Michigan laid out the highlights of his plan, including his call for thousands of charging stations across the country as part of the shift towards electric vehicles and investing in manufacturing, research and development.
In particular, Biden highlighted the country's current shortage on semiconductors, warning that the U.S. needs to ensure these types of shortages don't happen in the future. Biden said he also understands those who worry about being left behind if his plans to invest in green energy technology pass, but stressed that would not be the case.
"We will leave no one behind. Nearly 90% of the jobs created in my American Jobs Plan do not require a bachelor's degree -- 75% don't require an associate's degree," Biden said.
In a speech that was marked by many "Bidenisms" and call backs to words of wisdom from his father, the president sought to hammer that addressing climate change means creating new jobs. He also said meeting green energy goals could help to restore the U.S. on the global stage.
"If we act to save the planet, we can create millions of good-paying jobs, generate significant economic growth and opportunity to raise the standard of living for people not only here, but around the world," he said.
