Trump says he will buy a ‘brand new Tesla’ to show support for Musk
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People protesting against Tesla and Elon Musk outside a Tesla dealership in California on March 8.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on March 11 said he will buy a new Tesla car to show support for the electric carmaker’s chief and his ally Elon Musk amid recent “Tesla Takedown” protests
Mr Musk’s role in sweeping cuts to the federal workforce
About 350 demonstrators protested outside a Tesla electric vehicle dealership in Portland, Oregon, last week, while nine people were arrested during a raucous demonstration outside a New York City Tesla dealership earlier in March.
Mr Musk is spearheading the Trump administration’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump defended Mr Musk by saying he was “putting it on the line” to help the country and was doing a “fantastic” job.
“I’m going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American,” Mr Trump said.
Mr Musk thanked the president for his support on his own social media platform X.
Tesla’s market capitalisation has more than halved
The stock’s decline since December stems from falling vehicle sales and profits, protests of Mr Musk’s political activity and investor worries that politics are distracting the world’s richest man from tending to his cash cow. REUTERS
