By now, we're used to some weird and wonderful stunts from President Donald Trump, but did anyone expect him to turn the White House into a Tesla showroom?
The POTUS was once a walking soundboard of hate for electric vehicles, saying they don't go far and cost a fortune, famously calling out the idea of making all-electric tanks for the military, and once joking: "Electric cars are good if you have a towing company."
Everyone is allowed a change of opinion, and while we're not sure Trump will be swapping 'The Beast' for a Cybertruck anytime soon, he has just rallied behind Elon Musk's brand and vowed to buy a brand-new Telsa.
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Now, President Trump has been 'exposed' as he delivered a sales pitch outside the White House. After referring to the Model S as 'beautiful', he continued to hype the various makes of Tesla.
However, one Getty photo shows the notes that the President was reading from, including various prices. If you weren't already convinced this was a carefully crafted sales pitch rather than a stirring speech from the heart, it doesn't look like the Tesla stunt will quash those theories that Musk is the one pulling the strings in Washington.
One line reads, "Teslas can be purchased as low as $299/month or $35K," while another says, "All cars have self driving, just needs to be turned on (fee)."
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There's also the fact that Trump bought a new Tesla to represent "confidence and support for Elon Musk," but due to the stipulation that the POTUS isn't allowed to drive themself, it will sit there for use by White House staff only.
At least someone will be getting use from Teslas, with the President saying he's going to buy a red Tesla Model S for his granddaughter, Kai Trump.
Continuing to promote Tesla and the work of his 'First Buddy', Trump told the crowd he's backing the car manufacturer and Musk "because, number one it's a great product, as good as it gets, and number two, because this man has devoted his energy and his life to doing this and I think he's been treated very unfairly by a very small group of people."
Following a recent rise in vandalism against Teslas, showrooms, and charging facilities, Trump has referred to those involved in the boycott as 'domestic terrorists' and vowed to put them 'through hell' when they're identified.
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While the President was taking a clear stand in favor of Tesla as its stocks hit a worrying low on March 10, we're reminded of what he's said in the past.
Speaking in an August 2024 campaign rally in Atlanta, Trump suggested he'd backed himself into a corner with EVs and told the crowd: "I’m for electric cars, I have to be because Elon endorsed me very strongly.
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“So I have no choice."
He went on to say that EVs are suitable for a 'small slice' of the population and concluded by saying "you want every type of car imaginable" to be available.
Still, one of his early actions in office was to roll back the Biden administration's plans for a $5 billion electric vehicle charging program. We don't imagine Mr. Musk was too impressed by that one.
We've come a long way from Trump saying EV owners deserve to 'rot in hell', but we've got to hand it to him. If things go wrong with this whole presidency thing, he could easily get a job as a Tesla salesman.