Ironically, Ford was the only American automaker that did not need a bailout.

Via PennAve:

Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday thanked Ford Motor Company executive chairman Bill Ford Jr. “for saving our ass.”

Biden made the remark as he met with the auto executive and Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., while they toured the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The vice president was referring to the 2008-2009 auto crisis, according to the pool report. Ford was the lone American automaker to not receive government bailout aid.

In a speech at the event, Biden touted the turnaround of the American auto industry and said that without the federal government’s help the nation faced the “likely collapse of the automobile industry.”

“We bet American on American ingenuity, we bet on you, and we won,” said Biden.