“He’s going to be viewing a Tesla that’s making its method to the White Home complicated now, I can affirm,” she mentioned. “Maybe the press pool right this moment may have a chance to witness this very thrilling second later this afternoon, however a Tesla is on its means right here now and we’ll see if the president likes it when he checks it out.”
Shortly afterward, a fleet of Teslas appeared, magicked by electrical energy to the White Home, for the automotive salesmen—President Trump and Musk—to do a photograph op. “I am gonna purchase a automotive,” Trump informed surrounding press, including that Margo Martin on his White House communications staff may drive it. Motive? Partially as a result of, although Trump has trashed electrical autos at quite a few factors, Teslas are immediately “good.” And in addition as a result of Musk “has been handled very unfairly by a small group of individuals.”
Only for enjoyable, since Musk does love his serviette math, let’s look at Trump’s alleged buy of a MAGA-red Mannequin S, which carries a base value of round $80,000.* In spite of everything, he’s doing this to place a couple of bucks in his man’s pocket, proper? $29 billion, the quantity Musk’s web price dropped Monday, divided by $80,000 is… 362,500. So Musk misplaced greater than 360,000 base-model Mannequin S Teslas price of cash yesterday.
Maybe the optics labored out for Musk? Maybe not. Tesla inventory opened Tuesday at $225 a share, below its 52-week average. And although Trump placed on his Tesla parade lengthy earlier than the markets closed, Tesla barely moved, inching up round $235 throughout the present, then closing the day at $230/share—far, far wanting its $480 post-election high. Possibly the entire Trump voters who aren’t presently apprehensive about their 401ks, housing prices, a recession, or the worth of groceries and eggs will purchase some Teslas, and assist make it as much as their very personal authorities overlords.
In an interview Monday on Fox Business, Musk once more seemed to be having some emotions about DOGE’s impression on his different companies, a number of of which have made headlines within the final week or so: SpaceX had the explosion—ugh, there I am going once more, I imply fast unscheduled disassembly, X had widespread downtime Monday because of what the corporate mentioned was a focused cyberattack, Teslas are being vandalized, and Neuralink govt Shivon Zilis introduced that she and Musk have welcomed one other human child.
Requested how he’s operating his non-public companies whereas working his unpaid gig within the authorities, Musk had a wry response: “With nice problem.” He chuckled and appended a form of verbal shrug. “Yeah, I imply.”
Yeah, I imply, certainly.
(*Requested whether or not Trump paid full value; whether or not he purchased it personally or below the taxpayer-funded auspices of presidency; and certainly, whether or not he’d purchased it, for actual, in any respect, The White Home informed Vainness Honest to “Confer with the President’s feedback.”)
