President Donald Trump said he is keeping his red Model S Tesla despite his recent feud with Elon Musk, but it might not stay at the White House, where the electric car has been parked since he bought it.
The president said that he might “move the Tesla around a little bit” after his clash with Musk on social media saw the Tesla CEO claim that Trump was featured in files related to Jeffrey Epstein and that he should be impeached.
The Context
Trump purchased the vehicle in March as a show of support for Musk and Tesla amid a backlash against the company due to Musk’s role in the sweeping federal cost-cutting initiative known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
However, the very public falling-out between the pair after Musk’s departure from the White House at the end of May has raised questions about the vehicle’s fate.
U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by White House Senior Advisor, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, speaks next to a Tesla Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025…
U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by White House Senior Advisor, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, speaks next to a Tesla Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025 in Washington, DC.
More
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
What To Know
Trump was asked by reporters on Monday about his plans for the Tesla vehicle and Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, which the White House uses, after the pair engaged in a war of words on their respective social media sites.
“I may move the Tesla around a little bit, but I don’t think we’ll be doing that with Starlink. It’s a good service,” Trump said.
Asked what he meant by moving the Tesla, Trump replied: “I have a lot of locations. I got so many locations that I don’t know what to do with them all.”
Trump previously described Tesla as a “great American company” during the height of protests against the electric car manufacturer, but after Musk claimed that he was the reason Trump won the 2024 election, the president’s rhetoric has changed significantly. Last week, Trump said that Tesla was “having a hard time” and that “they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidies.”
The primary catalyst for their rift was Musk’s strong opposition to Trump’s flagship legislation, the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This bill—named for how the president said he wanted his domestic agenda passed—proposed significant tax cuts and spending increases, including the elimination of federal EV tax credits—an incentive crucial to Tesla’s business model. Musk publicly criticized the bill as a “disgusting abomination,” expressing concern over its potential to increase the national deficit and undermine innovation.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said on Truth Social on Thursday: “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!”
Elon Musk said on X on Thursday: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude.”
What Happens Next
Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is currently awaiting approval in the Senate. Trump has given senators a July 4 deadline to pass the bill and send it to his desk.