U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to purchase a “model new” Tesla automotive to indicate his assist for billionaire Elon Musk and his firm after the automaker’s inventory worth plunged in one of many worst single day sell-offs within the firm’s historical past.
“To Republicans, Conservatives, and all nice Individuals, Elon Musk is ‘placing it on the road’ with a view to assist our Nation, and he’s doing a FANTASTIC JOB!” Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social. “However the Radical Left Lunatics, as they usually do, are attempting to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of many World’s nice automakers, and Elon’s ‘child,’ with a view to assault and do hurt to Elon, and the whole lot he stands for.”
“They tried to do it to me on the 2024 Presidential Poll Field, however how did that work out?” Trump continued. “In any occasion, I’m going to purchase a model new Tesla tomorrow morning as a present of confidence and assist for Elon Musk, a really nice American.”
“Why ought to he be punished for placing his super abilities to work with a view to assist MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN???” Trump added.
Musk thanked Trump in a put up on X, writing, “Thanks, President @realDonaldTrump!”
A screenshot of Elon Musk’s put up on X.
@ElonMusk / X
Tesla shares have plummeted 45 per cent in 2025 and on Monday tumbled greater than 15 per cent to $222.15, the bottom since late October, according to The Related Press. Gross sales of the automobiles are falling in California, the corporate’s greatest U.S. market, and the corporate recorded its first annual global sales decline final 12 months.
Tesla gross sales plunged 45 per cent in Europe in January, according to analysis agency Jato Dynamics, whilst total electrical automobile gross sales rose. The gross sales numbers have been notably dangerous in Germany and France.
The latest auto sales figure from China present that Tesla gross sales there have practically halved from February a 12 months in the past, though the decline is essentially as a consequence of elevated competitors from home EV corporations.
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In latest days, hundreds of protesters have gathered at Tesla showrooms within the U.S. as a part of demonstrations towards Musk’s high-level involvement with the Trump administration.
On March 8, footage captured throughout protests at a Manhattan dealership exhibits police eradicating quite a few demonstrators from contained in the premises, the place glass doorways had been shattered.
Individuals additionally gathered outdoors the power and may very well be heard chanting, “We’d like clear air, not one other billionaire.”
A lady who recognized herself on digital camera as “Frankie” whereas officers detained her mentioned she was “getting arrested right this moment for protesting Elon Musk.”
“He purchased his method into workplace, he purchased his method into heading a authorities company, he purchased his energy on the expense of the American folks, on the expense of our surroundings, on the expense of our world and the entire folks in it,” the girl mentioned.
Six folks have been arrested, 5 for disorderly conduct and one for resisting arrest, in accordance with media reviews.
Another video posted on Musk-owned social media platform X on Saturday appeared to indicate 9 NYPD officers defending a single Cybertruck.
“9 cops to guard one Cybertruck, superb,” the particular person filming the video mentioned.
Tesla homeowners have additionally placed bumper stickers on their automobiles with messages like, “I purchased it earlier than Elon went loopy.”
Final week, 12 Tesla vehicles were set on fire outdoors a dealership in Toulouse, France, destroying eight and severely damaging 4. Authorities have since opened a felony investigation.
The identical day, seven Tesla charging stations at a mall in Littleton, Mass., about 60 kilometres outdoors of Boston, have been burned, inflicting heavy harm and sending up plumes of thick smoke.
In February, federal prosecutors charged a lady in reference to a string of vandalism towards a Colorado Tesla dealership, which included Molotov cocktails being thrown at automobiles and the phrases “Nazi automobiles” spray painted on the constructing.
The dealership estimated that a number of incidents of vandalism over the course of a couple of month brought on between $5,000 and $20,000 in damages, with an estimated $5,000 in harm to the automobiles.
In January, following a post-inaugural speech the place Musk made a number of Nazi salute-like motions, U.Okay.- and Germany-based activist teams projected a nonetheless picture of the billionaire tech mogul mid-gesture alongside the phrases “Heil Tesla” onto the surface of the corporate’s Gigafactory in Berlin.
On Monday, Musk admitted he’s having “nice problem” operating his companies as he juggles his advisory position in Trump’s administration, main the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
In an interview on Fox Enterprise Community’s Kudlow, former Trump administration official Larry Kudlow requested Musk about his “name to motion” throughout the administration and the way he’s managing to maintain his corporations operating, together with Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and X.
“How are you operating your different companies?” Kudlow requested.
“With nice problem,” Musk responded.
Musk added that he’s “attempting to make authorities extra environment friendly” and to remove waste and fraud.
“And to this point, we’re making good progress, truly,” he mentioned.
Musk additionally spoke about his X social media platform that crashed several times on Monday, which he claimed was a “huge” cyberattack.
He claimed on Kudlow that the attackers had “IP addresses originating within the Ukraine space,” with out going into element.
— With information from World Information’ Rachel Goodman and The Related Press
© 2025 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
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