WASHINGTON — Late this summer, at a Secret Service training facility in Maryland, President Biden accelerated his favorite 1967 Corvette Stingray to 118 mph. garage. “
At the show, Leno, who is a car enthusiast like Biden, spoke about the electrified classic, the president’s latest attempt to bridge the environmental concerns that rely on the move to electric vehicles and his passion for muscle cars. He talked passionately about the Ford F-100.
Two years into the presidency, Mr. Biden is once again embracing the man who has served him since his early days in politics nearly 50 years ago: the car man.
The president has long used his affinity for cars to hone his career roots. These days, he evokes an aura of vitality, even though he’s the oldest president in American history. Heading into next month’s midterm elections, the future of Congress’ control and his agenda is at stake.
In a nation of car enthusiasts, polls suggest the Democrats are still headed for defeat. But people close to Biden say his love of cars goes beyond the usual political stances that are only displayed when the vote is near. It’s like an obsession, they say.
At an Oval Office meeting that charts the future of America’s auto industry, Mr. Biden intimidates his aides with vague trivia about cars that were built before many cars were born.
Before highlighting the electrification revolution at a gathering of auto industry executives at the White House last year, the president met with members of his staff to ponder important national issues. He rode the Southlawn in his hybrid Jeep his Wrangler.
President Biden
With the midterm elections approaching, here stands President Biden.
“You know I’m a car geek,” Biden said at the Detroit Auto Show last month.
“I like speed,” he added.
The son of a car dealership manager, Mr. Biden attributes his love of fast cars to his father. His pedigree had the advantage of automobiles.
In high school, young Mr. Biden drove a 1951 Plymouth convertible. On his senior’s prom occasion, he impressed the date in a Chrysler 300D he rented from his father’s estate. While in college, Biden bought a Mercedes 190SL.
The Corvette Stingray that Biden’s sons maintained during his time as Vice President was a surprise wedding gift from his father.
Secret Service rules prohibit the President and Vice President from driving on public roads for safety reasons. Reach the highest office and you’ll be relegated to the back of a bulletproof limousine.
In 2011, as vice president, Mr. Biden told Car & Driver magazine that the security requirement to keep the engine from spinning was “one of the things I hate about this job.”
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Former President Ronald Reagan famously treasured a red 1962 Willys Jeep that was gifted to him by his wife, Nancy. In the early 1990s, Mr. Reagan once gave Mikhail S. Gorbachev a ride in his Scrambler Jeep with his plate number reading “Gipper” while visiting the ranch.
President Bill Clinton lamented being unable to drive his blue 1967 Mustang convertible. In 1994, when he drove his Charlotte his motor old car a bit on his speedway, he was cheered by a crowd that might have been hostile.
Even President Donald J. Trump was known to have a multi-million dollar luxury car collection, but he was rarely seen driving over the years .
David A. Kirsch, professor at the University of Maryland Business School and author of The Electric Vehicle and the Burden of History, said: “It’s a kind of affinity with the American working class, and I think it alludes to an image of male masculinity and masculinity that’s important to leaders who want to look strong.”
Biden’s love of cars has always been part of his political image.
The 2009 Recovery Act, overseen by Mr. Biden as vice president, helped save America’s auto industry and Detroit after the financial crisis the year before. At the time, Biden led the rollout of a $2 billion research grant to accelerate the development of batteries for electric vehicles.
When Mr. Biden was seeking re-election on the backing of President Barack Obama in 2012, his mantra at campaign rallies was “Osama bin Laden is dead, General Motors is alive.”
The White House has sought to leverage Biden’s knowledge of the automobile and industry by regularly scheduling events at manufacturing facilities owned by Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. The visit will also provide the President with an opportunity to talk automotive while shedding light on an industry in transition.
After Mr. Biden’s visit to Ford last year, when he test drove the electric F-150 Lightning, the company received 200,000 reservations for the new truck.
“People will realize this is cool automotive tech when the president is driving,” said Ford’s chief communications officer, Mark Truby.
Despite recent signs of progress, managing the transition to electric vehicles is a political challenge. Supply chain disruptions are making electric vehicles more difficult for consumers who want them. European countries are reeling from the Biden administration’s attempt to favor domestic manufacturing with tax credits.
The transition to electricity is increasingly linked to culture wars at a time of deep division between nations. Earlier this month, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green said that Democrats promoting electric vehicles were “trying to cripple the way we drive.”
Mr. Leno has been one of the few people to have been moved by Mr. Biden since taking office, and said the president treated the green Corvette calmly.
“He’s a good driver,” Leno said in an interview, though he didn’t confirm whether the president actually pushed his car to triple-digit speeds. “He still has a Corvette. He can drive a stick. Which means most presidents aren’t car lovers.”
Still, Biden won’t be driving an electric car or his own classic internal combustion engine on public roads anytime soon.
Mr. Biden told Mr. Leno on CNBC’s Wednesday night show that he was “nostalgic.” “Sometimes I take my Corvette out of the garage and drive and run down the driveway.”