The somewhat curious friendship between President Donald Trump and billionaire businessman Elon Musk exhibited itself in an unexpected event in early March on the White House lawn: a Tesla Car Show organized and funded by the president himself.
Five of Tesla’s electric vehicles were parked on the South Lawn of the White House for Trump to inspect personally. Trump declared them “beautiful” and promised to buy one, specifically praising one of Tesla’s newest electric vehicles, the Cyber Truck. (NBC) The event was broadcast live by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scabino on X, the popular social media app run by Musk.
This event has of course sparked controversy – raising questions throughout the nation as to what is considered proper conduct by elected officials. ABC News shared that it is extremely uncommon for an elected official, especially the serving president, to endorse a consumer product so publicly. Ashley Deleo, a junior at Ramapo, commented, “This is a very unique way of promoting a product – something I never would have thought of, but very cool.” Many sources believed that this exhibition was done as a favor to Musk in the midst of a major decline in Tesla’s stock value and sales throughout the world. Musk has faced extreme backlash for his increasing involvement in politics, particularly the role that he has played in the cutting of government jobs with the Department of Government Efficiency (ABC News). Tesla showrooms across the United States have been the sight of hundreds of protests in recent months – dubbed the “Tesla Takedown” movement. CNN defines the movement’s main goal as encouraging Tesla owners and investors to sell their vehicles and shares of stock to hurt the wealthy, most specifically, Musk himself.
Dr. Barreu, a teacher at Ramapo High School, offered the following perspective on the protests: “These protests are a great example of our American democracy and our right to protest and speak out.” It’s unclear how this event will serve to benefit Musk’s company. Controversy surrounding Musk’s position as an advisor to President Trump and his role at DOGE continues. According to CNN, Elon Musk and politician Vivek Ramaswamy were originally supposed to co-head the Department of Government Efficiency. Ramaswamy backed out soon after Trump was elected back into office, and since then, questions regarding the likelihood of Musk also stepping down surfaced.
Regardless of the millions of questions surrounding the recent political climate, there is no doubt that the Tesla show at the White House was a momentous event that symbolized the growing insertion of business into government.
