Does Biden Regret Endorsing Ford's Electric F-150? Jean-Pierre: 'Do Not Regret That' (March 6, 2023)

In 2021, President Joe Biden took Ford’s new electric F-150 Lightning for a spin and told reporters, “This sucker’s quick” [3]. Less than two years later, a reporter asked the White House whether he had any second thoughts.

“There was a report last week about how Ford’s F-150 Lightning — their electric EV truck — is contributing to high pollution and deforestation in the Amazon. Does President Biden regret endorsing that truck back in 2021?” the reporter asked [1].

“No, does — do not regret that and don’t have any conversation to read out at this time,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre answered [1].

The video above shows the exchange from the March 6, 2023, White House briefing. Quotes are from the official transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

The Amazon Report

The reporter also asked whether anyone had “talked to Ford about how they should source aluminum for the frame from a different mine” [1].

The report was from Bloomberg. As summarized by Human Rights Watch on the day of the briefing, Bloomberg found that the truck “is produced with aluminum linked to deforestation and environmental harms in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest.” Ford said it was “committed to a supply chain …that respects human rights” [4].

Human Rights Watch noted that refining bauxite, the ore used to make aluminum, “creates an alkaline waste product called ‘red mud’ that contains heavy metals and other elements that can be harmful to humans if the waste is not stored correctly” [4].

Jean-Pierre’s answer took one sentence. Then the reporter moved on [1].

”If I Could Feel Her Aura”

The reporter’s next question was about the 2024 race. “Is the President annoyed, frustrated with Marianne Williamson for jumping in the race ahead of him? Did he want to clear field to run against the Republican nominee in 2024?” [1]

Jean-Pierre laughed it off. “Just not tracking that. I mean, if I had a — what is it called? — a little — a little globe here —” she said. Reporters offered “Crystal ball” and “A Magic 8 Ball” [1].

“A Magic 8 Ball, whatever,” she said. “If I could feel her aura.” Then: “Gosh, you guys are making me laugh now” [1].

”This Sucker’s Quick”

Biden’s endorsement came on May 18, 2021, at Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan. “Look, the future of the auto industry is electric. There’s no turning back,” he said in his speech [2].

He framed it as a race with Beijing. “Right now China is leading in this race. Make no bones about it; it’s a fact,” Biden said. He promised the jobs would be “good-paying union jobs with benefits, jobs that will sustain and grow the middle class” [2].

He joked about getting behind the wheel. “I’d sure like to drive it. I wonder whether or not I can lose the Secret Service and go out to the track. But—you all think I’m kidding, don’t you?” Biden said [2].

He did drive it. The press pool reported that Biden “appeared driving fast in a grey-ish f-150 lightning truck.” He “drove by the pool with the window open” and told reporters, “This sucker’s quick.” He said it went “0-60 in about 4.4 seconds” [3].

By the Numbers

• 2021: the year Biden test-drove and promoted the F-150 Lightning [2][3].
• 4.4 seconds: the 0-60 time Biden cited for the truck [3].
• 700-plus miles: the estimated range of the generator-backed version Ford chose to build instead [5].
• 1: sentence Jean-Pierre used to answer the regret question [1].

What Happened Next

Ford pulled the plug. On Dec. 15, 2025, Ford announced it would end production of the all-electric F-150 Lightning. Ford said the truck’s business case had “eroded” as a result of “lower-than-expected demand, high costs and regulatory changes,” Automotive Logistics reported [5].

Ford said it would replace the truck with an extended-range model backed by an onboard generator, with “a generator-backed estimated range of more than 700 miles.” “The operating reality has changed, and we are redeploying capital into higher-return growth opportunities,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley [5].

The plant Biden toured changed jobs, too. “All of the hourly employees at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center have already been transferred to the truck plant on the same complex,” Automotive Logistics reported, to help “increase production of the F-150 and Super Duty in 2026” [5].

Ford had earlier paused assembly of the electric pickup “to prioritise ICE and hybrid F-Series truck production,” the report said [5].

Trump ended the EV push. On Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an order to “eliminate the ‘electric vehicle (EV) mandate’ and promote true consumer choice” [6].

The order called for “terminating, where appropriate, state emissions waivers that function to limit sales of gasoline-powered automobiles” and “considering the elimination of unfair subsidies and other ill-conceived government-imposed market distortions that favor EVs over other technologies” [6].

For Biden’s own words on coal and clean energy, see HYGO News’ page on his vow to shut coal plants.

Sources

1. The American Presidency Project: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (March 6, 2023)
2. The American Presidency Project: Remarks at the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan (May 18, 2021)
3. The American Presidency Project: Pool Reports of May 18, 2021
4. Human Rights Watch: Aluminum’s Amazon Footprint (March 6, 2023)
5. Automotive Logistics: Ford scraps F-150 Lightning, launches EREV in strategy shift (December 16, 2025)
6. The White House: Unleashing American Energy (January 20, 2025)