Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call
- AOC said on Face the Nation on Sunday that she wants to trade in her Tesla for a union-made EV.
- AOC said she bought her Tesla Model 3 during the pandemic when EVs were the "safest way" to travel.
- The New York lawmaker has repeatedly clashed with Tesla CEO Elon Musk over unions.
As the historic United Auto Workers strike heats up across the country, so, too, is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's ongoing feud with Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
On Face the Nation on Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez was asked when she would be switching her Tesla for a union-made EV. Ocasio-Cortez previously said she bought her Tesla Model 3 back in 2020 to travel between Washington and her district in New York. It was the only EV that could get her there "on like one, or one-and-a-half charges," she said.
While it was the "safest way" to travel at the time, it was also before some of the new models from other manufacturers hit the market. "We're actually looking into trading in our car now, she said on Face the Nation.
This isn't the first time that Ocasio-Cortez has expressed an interest in switching out her Tesla for a union-made EV. It's also not the first time she has expressed her distaste for Musk, who's been highly critical of the UAW in the past.
Back in May, Ocasio-Cortez said she wanted to own an electric vehicle made by a company that allowed employees to unionize. Tesla is one of the only major automakers in the United States not represented by a union. "He's a billionaire. I could care less what he thinks," Ocasio-Cortez said in reference to Musk at the time.
Ocasio-Cortez and Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.