U.S. President Donald Trump has announced his intention to buy a Tesla in a show of support for Elon Musk, following a decline in the electric car manufacturer’s stock and protests targeting the billionaire CEO for his association with the White House.
Trump defended Musk against what he described as “Radical Left Lunatics” who have organized protests against Tesla across the country. This backlash has come as Musk has been advocating for cuts to federal spending and jobs in his new role leading the Department of Government Efficiency.
“To Republicans, Conservatives, and all great Americans, Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ to help our nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!” Trump posted on Truth Social shortly after midnight on Tuesday.
“But the Radical Left Lunatics are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the world’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ to undermine him and everything he stands for.”
The President announced that he would buy a Tesla the following morning as “a show of confidence” in Musk, who is also the CEO of SpaceX and the social media platform X.
“In any event, I’m going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning to show confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American,” he wrote. “Why should he be punished for using his tremendous skills to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN???”
Tesla’s stock has suffered a nearly one-third drop since Trump took office, with shares declining over 28% in the past month alone and almost 32% since January 1.
Protests against Musk and the government’s cuts have erupted at various Tesla dealerships nationwide, including one in Manhattan, where six protesters were arrested on Saturday.
A Tesla dealership in Colorado faced vandalism last month when a 40-year-old woman was accused of spray-painting “Nazi cars” on the building and throwing Molotov cocktails at vehicles on the property.
Additionally, some Tesla owners have reported their cars becoming targets of anti-Musk vandalism. In response, some have replaced their Tesla logos with emblems from other car manufacturers in an effort to avoid potential vandalism and distance themselves from Musk’s political affiliations.
