US President Donald Trump bought a shiny red Tesla with the company’s CEO Elon Musk by his side, who helped the Republican leader pick the car on the White House driveway on Tuesday. The car was bought in a show of support for Musk’s electric vehicle company, which is facing a blowback because of the Tesla CEO’s work to advance the President’s political agenda.
“Wow, that’s beautiful,” Trump said as he eased his way into the driver’s seat of a Model X.
Musk, who got in on the passenger seat, joked about “giving the Secret Service a heart attack” as they talked about how to start a vehicle that can reach 95 kilometres per hour in a few seconds. However, Trump did not test drive the car since he is not permitted to drive, but said that he will leave it at the White House so his staff can drive it.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 11, 2025
President @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk hop in a Tesla! pic.twitter.com/NRRm7IEQGf
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) March 11, 2025
According to the US President, he bought the car – worth around $80,000 – at the full price, without any discount.
“Musk would give me a discount, but if I do a discount, they’re gonna say, Oh, I got benefits,” he said.
“When I saw what was happening, I said that I want to buy a Tesla, and we just went to the front. He (Elon Musk) had four beautiful cars there, and I bought one in front of the press. It was a very public purchase, and they’re beautiful and do a great job,” he said.
Calling Musk a “patriot”, Trump said, “He’s done a great job…It’s not that he’s a Republican… Sometimes, I’m not even sure what he is in terms of his philosophy, but he’s a great guy.”
The Tesla shares have been witnessing a sharp slump since Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Recently, anti-DOGE protesters gathered outside Tesla stores across the US to protest the automaker’s billionaire CEO and his push to slash government spending on behalf of the President, with many holding banners that read “Elon must go away” and “honk if Elon Musk should be fired”. A few protests even turned violent.
In the last month, the shares have dropped by over 30 per cent. While on Monday, the shares dropped by 15 per cent, it went up a day later nearly 5 per cent – making back a small fraction of what it lost amid an extended sell-off since January.