President Donald Trump beamed from in front of and inside a Tesla Model S on Tuesday, telling reporters gathered on the White House driveway that the electric vehicle was "beautiful."
The bit of promo for DOGE head Elon Musk's car brand made good on a promise that Trump made earlier in the week. The president swore in a Monday post to Truth Social that he would buy the car as a "show of confidence and support" for Musk.
"Elon Musk is 'putting it on the line' in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!" 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."
Tesla stocks have flagged in the first few weeks of the Trump administration, with the automaker taking a hit due to faltering sales and Musk's ongoing association with Trump and European far-right parties. The White House-backed advertisement from Trump seems to be a bit of backscratching for Trump's campaign trail benefactor.
"It's a great product, as good as it gets," Trump said. "[Musk] has devoted his energy and his life to doing this, and he's been treated very unfairly by a very small group of people."
The backlash to Musk's smash-and-grab of the federal government has moved beyond Wall Street tickers into the real world. Across the nation, protesters have gathered outside Tesla showrooms and charging stations to rail against the CEO's actions. The "Tesla Takedown" actions have occasionally turned destructive. Trump promised on Tuesday to label any violence against Tesla dealerships as domestic terrorism, per a report from Reuters.
