--- title: "Painfully Awkward Footage Shows Trump Pretending to Like Cybertruck" description: "In a bizarre bid to score points with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, former president Donald Trump was gifted a Rolex and a custom-wrapped Cybertruck." date: "2024-08-06" modified: "2024-08-06" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/trump-cybertruck" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "cybertruck" - "donald trump" - "elon musk" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Painfully Awkward Footage Shows Trump Pretending to Like Cybertruck ![In a bizarre bid to score points with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, former president Donald Trump was gifted a Rolex and a custom-wrapped Cybertruck.]() *\Image: Adin Ross\* ## Pander Bears In a bizarre bid to score points with kids these days, former president Donald Trump was [publicly gifted a custom-wrapped Cybertruck]() that was emblazoned with a photo of him right after surviving an assassination attempt last month. The gifter was none other than white nationalist man-child and popular streamer Adin Ross, who has a long track record of using [homophobic slurs](), getting [banned]() from Twitch several times, and attracting a [predominantly male]() audience. In other words, it's exactly the kind of demographic Trump is trying to pander to in the run-up to his reelection bid. The only problem? He couldn't seem to summon up any genuine enthusiasm for the brutalist pickup, probably because he's a [notorious hater of electric vehicles](). "Wow, that’s an Elon!" Trump exclaimed. "Elon you’re great. I don’t know if you’re seeing this, but you’re really good." https://twitter.com/SawyerMerritt/status/1820528254501224700 ## Notice Me The news comes after the former president [proclaimed]() that he would now be "for electric cars" because "Elon endorsed me very strongly." It takes astonishingly little effort to follow the money. Last month, the [*Wall Street Journal* reported]() that Musk was donating $45 million a month to a pro-Trump political action committee called the America PAC, which the mercurial CEO later [denied](). To connect with the septuagenarian — who could've easily been the 23-year-old streamer's grandfather — Ross decided to [sit him down inside the truck]() and play some oldies, including "All the Leaves Are Brown" by the Mamas & the Papas. "This is a great system," Trump told a laughing Ross. Trump was willing to fully debase himself during the bizarre interaction, going as far as to pull some [incredibly awkward dance moves](). "I'll tell you about TikTok," he said after stiffly shimmying back and forth. "Trump is going to keep TikTok going. Biden and Harris have no idea what it means." Hilariously, if Trump did accept Ross' lavish gift, he may have violated campaign finance laws. As [*Rolling Stone* reports](), contributions from a private individual are limited to just $3,300, and the Cybertruck could easily be worth over $100,000. "Giving gifts valued at tens of thousands of dollars to a candidate amounts to an illegal and excessive campaign contribution," campaign finance watchdog Brendan Fischer told *Rolling Stone*. "I suspect that once Trump talks to his lawyers, we’ll get an announcement that he is turning down the gifts or donating them to charity." In short, the incredibly awkward interaction was an absolute car crash that likely didn't convince anybody who wasn't already planning on voting for Trump. If anything, the appearance just shows Trump's willingness to throw himself at the feet of Musk — a desperate bid to score political points and perhaps shore up some much-needed financing. **More on Trump:** *[Trump Says He Supports Electric Cars Now That Elon Musk Endorses Him]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()