President Joe Biden responded to Elon Musk's comments about having a "super bad feeling" about the economy with a sarcastic quip about the $Tesla(TSLA.US)$'s chief's "trip to the moon."
Musk immediately responded by reminding the president that his administration approved a lunar SpaceX mission.
What Happened: During a press conference Friday morning, Biden was asked for his opinion on Musk's negative mood about the economy and the potential layoff of 10% of Tesla's workforce. Biden grinned and responded by pulling a notecard from his jacket pocket and consulting its contents to report that $Ford Motor(F.US)$ is hiring 6,000 new employees — "Union employees, I might add, in the Midwest," Biden said.
Biden then said $STELLANTIS(STLA.US)$ is "also making investments in electric vehicles," and $Intel(INTC.US)$ is bringing on "20,000 new jobs making computer chips." Biden then restored the note card to his pocket before saying about Musk: "Lots of luck on his trip to the moon."
What Happened Next: Musk responded to Biden's remarks by tweeting an April 2021 press release from NASA on the Moon-focused Artemis program that announced the selection of Musk's SpaceX for the development of the lander that will safely carry the next two American astronauts to the lunar surface.
"Thanks, Mr. President!" Musk tweeted.