President Trump and senior White House adviser, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk leave after seeing Tesla vehicles on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images hides captions
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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Trump stepped into a car outside the White House Tuesday afternoon, but was not the usual high-security presidential limousine known as the “beast.”
Instead of the president’s car in a large black SUV lined up in the Southern grass driveway, there were five Teslas for Trump to peruse.
Trump announced his intention to buy Tesla Monday night, supporting his close adviser, billionaire Elon Musk, the automotive company CEO.
“It’s beautiful,” Trump said on Tuesday to be on the forefront of the red Model S.
It is rare that the President has provided such public support for private companies, and is likely an ethical violation. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment if ethical rules were followed.
Trump’s purchase is also another example of Musk leading the government’s role and government efficiency efforts, leading the government’s efficiency efforts as the head of Tesla, SpaceX, X, formerly known as Twitter. His businesses have received billions of dollars in federal contracts, despite government cutting spending across the government.
Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer under former President George W. Bush, said the exhibit appears to violate federal rules prohibiting the use of public office for private interest, but those rules do not apply to the president.
“This economy looks like a way to say it’s driven by favor,” Painter said. “It looks like the government is choosing winners and losers. The government says, ‘Tesla is the winner.’ “
Trump, who canceled his Biden-era efforts to encourage electric vehicles, said he would pay for the car with a check and would maintain it in the White House for staff to use.
Tesla sales have plummeted in recent weeks, with protests and attacks against Tesla vehicles and charging stations. Sales have declined not only in the US, but also in Europe, China and Australia as a whole.
“I think he’s been treated very unfairly by a very small group, and just wanting people to know that he’s not punished for being a patriot, he’s a great patriot and he does an incredible job at Tesla,” Trump said of Musk.
When asked if buying a car would help Tesla’s sales, Trump said, “I hope it is.”
Bobby Allin from NPR contributed to this report.
