9 hours ago
US President Donald Trump held a press conference at the White House's South Lawn with Tesla CEO Elon Musk in tow. But this time, the White House turned into a Tesla showroom, with five vehicles in the background and the President selecting a red Model S sedan to show his support to the EV company chief as he faces backlash over his efforts to downsize the federal government.
On Tuesday, just hours after Trump announced on Truth Social that he planned to buy a Tesla to support Musk, the EV company delivered five of its vehicles to the White House and parked them on a driveway for Trump to personally inspect them.
“Wow, that’s beautiful," Trump said as he eased his way into the driver’s seat of a Model S.
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 95 km per hour in a few seconds.
Addressing reporters, the President said that he would write a cheque for the car, which retails for roughly $80,000, and leave it at the White House, so his staff can drive it.
The president also said he hopes his purchase will boost Tesla, which is struggling with sagging sales and declining stock prices due to Musk's policies at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
(With AP inputs)
Published By:
Karishma Saurabh Kalita
Published On:
Mar 12, 2025
