As a "show of confidence" in his buddy Elon Musk, president Donald Trump on Tuesday turned the White House lawn into a Tesla advertisement in all but name. The day before, Trump had promised that he'd immediately buy a brand new Tesla to support Musk, whose automaker is currently facing falling sales and a plunging stock price.

The resulting spectacle was a bizarre and alarming mingling of the official powers of public office with naked salesmanship. Here was a sitting president plugging the cars made by his close confidante and biggest donor, who bankrolled his campaign to the tune of an astonishing $288 million.

In short, it exuded that brand of sleaziness unique to American car dealerships. And nothing exemplifies this more than Trump's speech notes from the event, which a photographer managed to capture clearly.

"Teslas can be purchased as low as $299/month or $35k," reads one part of the handwritten notes, indistinguishable from what you'd hear from the booming narrator of a car commercial.

The notes also lists the prices of Tesla's fleet when bought with the Full Self-Driving mode activated, including like the Model X (Silver) for $112,490 and the Cybertruck (Gray), for $114,000 — price tags firmly out of reach for many of America's working class. Meanwhile, the cheapest listed vehicle, the Model Y (Red), cost $59,990.

The relationship between Trump and Musk, both showy businessmen by trade and the latter a conflict of interest incarnate now that he's working for the White House, has been heavily scrutinized since its inception. Much attention has been paid to Musk's role in slashing federal spending — and the size of the federal workforce — through his Department of Government Efficiency, which is where the conflict of interests come in: his companies like SpaceX receive tens of billions of dollars in government contracts.

But that's backroom stuff. In his comments Tuesday, Trump didn't even bother to dress up his intent in the typical rhetoric of protecting American industry. Instead, the president made it clear that the reason he was buying from the electric vehicle manufacturer was "as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk," who he alleged was under attack by "Radical Left Lunatics" that are "illegally" boycotting Tesla.

With his Tesla car show, Trump has brought his shady ties with a fellow billionaire out into the open even more clearly than before, producing surreal moments from the aging president as he comes face to face with newfangled tech.

"The one I like is that one," Trump told the cameras, pointing at a red Model S, as quoted by the New York Times. "And I want that same color."

"Everything's computer!" he exclaimed after getting behind the wheel.

More on the president: Trump's Failing Truth Social Was Doing Much Better Under Biden


Share This Article