(WSYM) — President Joe Biden will be in metro Detroit today to tour the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, just one day ahead of the automaker's reveal of its all-new F-150 Lightning electric pick-up.
Biden's visit is expected to be met with protests amid the conflict between Israel and Gaza. Those protesters likely calling on him to do something about the conflict in the Middle East.
"A couple of months ago, a couple of people said to me wouldn't it be good to invite the president to the unveiling of the F-150 vehicle. I spoke with the UAW and they thought it was a good idea," Rep. Debbie Dingell said.
"The president really wanted to get to Dearborn to visit the Ford Electric Vehicle Center because we have the iconic F-150," White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy aadded.
The F-150 Lightning is the latest EV truck development, following announcements by GM, Rivian and Tesla, as the White House pushes for more green cars.
Michelle Krebs from Autotrader.com said we're still in the early stages with less than 2% of vehicle sales being electric.
This visit comes also during conflict in the Middle East.
Biden has expressed his support for Israel repeatedly. The Israeli government is bombarding families in Gaza and more than 200 people have died.
Day of protests from pro-Palestinian groups have taken place, and now, the visit to Dearborn, which has the nation's highest concentration of Arab Americans.
In a letter to the president, Imad Hamad, executive director of the American Human Rights Council, wrote in part, "We urge you to act swiftly, fairly and justly to end the human suffering that the Israeli war on Gaza is imposing on its population. the fact that Israel bombed the media's building is evidence that Israel is hitting civilian targets. the goal of the Israeli war is to harm the population and terrorize it. This is an illegal and immoral war."
