Trump selects a new Tesla on White House drive to show support for Elon Musk

US President Donald Trump and Tesla boss Elon Musk with the Model S Tesla outside the White House (Pool via AP)

US President Donald Trump shopped for a new Tesla on the White House drive on Tuesday, selecting a shiny red sedan to show his support for Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company as it faces negativity because of his work to advance the president’s political agenda and downsize the federal government.

“Wow,” Mr Trump said as he sat in 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 60mph in a few seconds.

Mr Trump told reporters that he would write a cheque for the car, which retails for roughly 80,000 dollars (£61,792), and leave it at the White House so his staff can drive it.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk speak to reporters as they sit in a red Model S Tesla vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House (Pool via AP)

“It’s a great product,” he said. Referring to Mr Musk, Mr Trump said “we have to celebrate him”.

It was the latest — and most unusual — 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.

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.”

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 will 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 cyber attack” that disrupted the social media platform on Monday, and the last two test launches of his Starship rocket ended in explosions.

Presidents almost never drive for security reasons. Joe Biden got behind the wheel of an electric truck while promoting domestic manufacturing, and Barack Obama took a spin with Jerry Seinfeld in the White House driveway for a comedy show.

But regardless of the practicality of Mr Trump’s purchase, his overnight announcement about buying a Tesla represented another step in how the president has blurred lines between private and public interests.

During his first term, adviser Kellyanne Conway urged people to show their support for Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka by purchasing her retail products.

“Go buy Ivanka’s stuff,” she said. “I’m going to give it a free commercial here.”

Mr Trump’s wealth and business savvy is core to his political appeal. The president promoted his products while running for office last year, and he attached his name to a cryptocurrency meme coin that launched shortly before he took office.

However, it is rare to see Mr Trump use his own money to support an ally, no matter how important they are.

Mr Musk is the world’s richest person, with billions of dollars in government contracts. He is also exerting sweeping influence over Mr Trump’s administration through the Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge, and travelling frequently with the president.

During an interview with the Fox Business Network on Monday, host Larry Kudlow asked Mr Musk “how are you running your other businesses” while also advising Trump.

“With great difficulty,” he said.

“But there’s no turning back, you say?” Kudlow responded.

“I’m just here trying to make government more efficient, eliminate waste and fraud,” Mr Musk said.

Tesla has recently faced protests and vandalism. Police are investigating gunshots fired at a dealership in Oregon, and fire officials are examining a blaze that destroyed four Cybertrucks at a Tesla lot in Seattle.