Donald Trump bought a Tesla Model S Tuesday as part of a stunt he admitted was to prop up the electric car company after its stock plunged this week.
The president was slammed by critics for unabashedly putting on a “Tesla ad” at the White House that some likened to outright corruption because of his cozy relationship with its CEO, Elon Musk.
Comparisons to a Tesla “commercial” were driven in part by photographers capturing Trump holding a note card with pricing details for different models, including monthly financing that he—with a net worth of $4.6 billion, per Forbes—would never need.
Trump, now 78 and in his final term, did not appear concerned about the optics of propping up a private company at the White House. He hyped up his shiny red Tesla, which he says he is not allowed to drive personally, and then marveled at its interior.
“Wow,” Trump said as he hopped in its driver’s seat. “That’s beautiful.”
Asked outright if he hopes his purchase will boost Tesla’s sales and stock price, the president said, “Well, I hope it does.” Musk, who remains Tesla’s top executive in addition to being a MAGA man in Washington, was next to Trump most of the stunt.
Explaining his reasoning behind the purchase, Trump said: “No. 1, it’s a great product—as good as it gets—and No. 2, because [Musk] has devoted his energy and his life to doing this and I think he has been treated very unfairly.”
Protests erupted at dozens of Tesla dealerships over the weekend from London to Palo Alto, forcing law enforcement to at times form a human barrier around the locations. Demonstrators said they were sending a message to Musk, who has been slashing jobs, grants, and leases in the federal government at breakneck speed—and at time recklessly, critics say—through his Department of Government Efficiency.
While the U.S. stock market as a whole has taken a beating this week, Tesla has been among its biggest losers—dropping from $262 at closing on Friday to $215 the same time Monday. It rebounded a bit to $230 by Tuesday afternoon, shortly after Trump’s stunt. That volatility appears to be the driver of Musk’s net worth dropping by $29 billion on Monday, though he remains the richest man in the world at $324.3 billion.
Trump said he would pay for his new vehicle, which retails for $80,000, by check. He told Musk he did not want a discount, adding that Tuesday marks the second time he has purchased a Tesla. The first, he claimed, was a Cybertruck for his 17-year-old granddaughter, Kai.
The president conceded he has not driven “in a long time” and said he is not allowed to take the vehicle around for a spin. Instead, he said he will leave it at the White House for his staff to use.
A reporter called out that Trump should take the car for a test drive, recalling that Biden had briefly driven a Jeep in front of the White House in 2021. Trump deflected the suggestion by joking that the journalist was the only person who saw Biden do that.
It appeared Musk may also want Trump to take his new whip for a spin. He asked him if he wanted to drive it and insisted it was “easy” to do so, likening it to a golf cart.
While Trump stopped short of starting the vehicle, he made sure to loudly give his thoughts about its interior as he sat inside with the front door ajar.
“Wow, that’s beautiful,” Trump said as he climbed in. “This is a different panel that I ever—everything’s computer!”
Unable to resist a dig at his predecessor, Trump added as he exited the car: “Think Biden could get into that car? I don’t think so.”
