US President Donald Trump is considering selling or giving away his Tesla, which he had purchased earlier this year as a gesture to support billionaire Elon Musk. The decision came after a public rift between the two former allies.
The bright red Tesla, worth $80,000 was still seen parked in the White House grounds on Friday morning. The White House has confirmed that Trump is seriously thinking of parting ways with the vehicle. “He is thinking about it, yes,” a senior official stated, as reported by AFP.
Trump, who doesn’t drive as a sitting president, had earlier promoted the purchase as a sign of solidarity with Musk. The Tesla CEO business as well reputation has been impacted because of controversial job cuts related to government reforms.
In March, Trump changed the White House into a Tesla showroom. He was seen praising the electric brand publicly and terming the electric vehicle as “great product”. The move was part of a carefully designed media event in order to boost Musk whom Trump referred to as a victim of radical left criticism. The Tesla was also used in the campaign promotions. Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and advisor Margo Martin were seen posing in the vehicle. Martin even posted on social media platform X, “Taking President Trump’s Tesla out for a ride,” Martin stated.
Trump-Musk feud
Their relationship fall out was ignited by Musk’s sharp disapproval of Trump’s major economic legislation. Musk described the president’s budget and policy planning as an ‘’abomination’, causing Trump to openly express his disappointment. The US President even warned to cancel Musk’s government contracts.
Amid ongoing tussle, Tesla stock faced a sharp 14% decline on Thursday, wiping out $100 billion market value. However, shares started to rebound on Friday. As per latest report, no final decision has been made related to the car.