U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk sit in a Tesla car model S, in front of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on March 11, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump shopped for a new Tesla on the White House driveway on Tuesday (March 12, 2025), selecting a shiny red sedan to show his support for Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company as it faces blowback because of his work to advance the president’s political agenda and downsize the federal government.
“Wow,” Mr. Trump said as he eased his way into the driver’s seat of a Model S. “That’s beautiful.”
Mr. Musk got in on the passenger side and joked about “giving the Secret Service a heart attack” as they talked about how to start a vehicle that can reach 60 miles (95 kilometers) per hour in a few seconds.
Mr. Trump told reporters that he would write a check for the car, which retails for roughly $80,000, and leave it at the White House so his staff can drive it. The president also said he hopes his purchase will boost Tesla, which is struggling with sagging sales and declining stock prices.
“It’s a great product,” he said. Referring to Mr. Musk, Mr. Trump said “we have to celebrate him.”
It was the latest example of how Mr. Trump has demonstrated loyalty to Mr. Musk, who spent heavily on his comeback campaign last year and has been a key figure in his second administration. Tesla’s stock price increased nearly 4% on Tuesday after dropping almost 48% since Mr. Trump took office in January.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk stand in front of Tesla Model S, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 11, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
| Photo Credit:
KEVIN LAMARQUE
The Republican President announced on social media overnight that he was going to buy a new Tesla as “a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American.”
Mr. Musk continues to run Tesla — as well as the social media platform X and the rocket manufacturer SpaceX — while also serving as Mr. Trump’s adviser.
“Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!” Mr. Trump wrote. “But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for.”
Defending Musk
Speaking later Tuesday at a business roundtable event, Mr. Trump said that Mr. Musk, the world’s richest man, “shouldn’t be scarified or have to suffer because he wants to help the government.”
Others have also rallied to Mr. Musk’s defence. Alex Jones, a prominent conspiracy theorist, said that he bought a customised version of a Cybertruck that he’ll give away to a customer of his online store next month.
In addition to Tesla’s struggles, Mr. Musk has faced other challenges too. He said X was targeted by a “massive cyberattack” that disrupted the social media platform on Monday, and the last two test launches of his Starship rocket ended in explosions.
Published – March 12, 2025 12:28 pm IST
