A New Role for the South Lawn of Trump’s White House: Tesla Car Lot

By Matt Viser / The Washington Post

14:30 JST, March 12, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday afternoon climbed into a cherry-red Tesla Model S, admiring the elaborate control panel and white leather seats, as Elon Musk, acting as a salesman of sorts, maneuvered into the passenger seat.

“Whoa,” the president proclaimed, “it’s beautiful!”

Trump had turned the South Lawn of the White House into a car lot, converting one of the country’s most revered public spaces into a billboard for a company run by one of his closest allies. And for the afternoon, he made no secret of the fact that he was attempting to boost the financial fortunes of one of his supporters – whose cars, he noted, could be had for the low, low price of $35,000.

“Well, I hope it does,” he said, asked if his event would boost sales at Tesla. “When somebody is a great patriot, they shouldn’t be hurt. He’s a great patriot.”

In a remarkable scene, Trump spent about 30 minutes talking with reporters as he kicked the tires on some of the five Teslas that had been parked on the drive of the White House for his shopping pleasure. The display offered a momentary distraction from an economy that has seen rising egg prices and plunging stocks. And it provided a vivid reminder of how transactional Trump can be, openly punishing his enemies and, in this case, just as openly rewarding his friends.

The president endorsed Tesla, calling it “a great product, as good as it gets.” He endorsed Musk, saying he is “a great patriot, and you should cherish him.” And then, he bought a car.

Trump made no mention of the increased scrutiny Tesla has faced in recent years from government regulators, who under the Biden administration raised concerns about the safety of the company’s advanced driver-assistance programs.

Nor did he revive his long-standing critique of electric vehicles, which he has said are too expensive and don’t go far enough on a charge.

“Electric cars are good if you have a towing company,” he once joked.

A White House official said the president is paying for the vehicle with his own money. The person declined to say whether the White House counsel reviewed the use of staff and official resources for the event.

Federal regulations prohibit White House staffers (though not the president himself) from using their government positions to endorse or promote private companies or products.

“Whatever use of public office for private gain we had in the first Trump administration, we’re going to have a lot more in the next four years,” said Richard Painter, who was chief ethics lawyer to President George W. Bush from 2005 to 2007. “Who is going to stop him? With Trump, anything goes. And now Musk wants in on it, too.”

Painter said the bounds of what is ethical in the White House have been stretched to new limits. In the past, officials would discourage the use of a president’s name for any commercial purpose. President Jimmy Carter’s younger brother in 1977 marketed “Billy Beer,” selling it nationwide until, according to the brewery’s president, it “sank with the popularity of the president.” But in that case, the president wasn’t involved, and the drink wasn’t sold at the White House.

“In the past, the president’s name would never be used for any commercial purpose whatsoever,” Painter said. “Someone wanted to name a public school after George W. Bush in Texas. We said: ‘Nope, not until he leaves office. We’re not going to let the president’s name be used for any purpose to raise money or any charitable or commercial purpose at all.’ And that was the rule.”

Trump on Tuesday burst past those rules and norms.

Musk, who is overseeing the U.S. DOGE Service’s efforts to make steep cuts to the federal government, has been “treated very unfairly by a very small group of people,” Trump said, an apparent reference to peaceful protests against Musk as well as violence against Tesla storefronts, charging stations and vehicles.

“I just want people to know that he can’t be penalized for being a patriot,” Trump added.

Musk said he was going to expand production of his cars in the United States. He noted that they were American-made.

“We have the biggest factory and the most advanced automotive factory in Texas … these are great products,” he said. “The Model S has won best car ever. All these cars have won several awards. They’re great cars, and they’re American made.”

He looked toward the cameras, saying: “You know, try it. You’ll like it.”

Musk’s 4-year-old son, X, stood by his side, fidgeting and rolling a toy truck on the ground and up his father’s leg.

Musk at one point motioned the president over to the Tesla Cybertruck, a full-size electric pickup; Trump said he had purchased one earlier for his granddaughter.

“This is bulletproof,” Musk bragged.

“In terms of imagination, I think I have a great imagination,” the president said. “Who else but this guy would design this, and everybody on the road is looking at it. It’s amazing, actually. As soon as I saw it, I said, ‘That is the coolest design.’”

Musk remarked that he had designed the Cybertruck thinking of what kind of vehicle the Blade Runner might drive. He also promoted a forthcoming model of the Cybertruck that won’t have a steering wheel because Tesla is so confident in the “self-driving” technology.

“I’m going to pass on that,” Trump responded.

The president noted that he won’t be driving the Tesla he said he is buying because he must be driven in an armored presidential car instead. He said the car would be used at the White House, though it wasn’t clear what the purpose would be.

At times, it felt like an unadulterated sales pitch from the world’s richest man and its most powerful leader. As he walked around, Trump carried a paper with Tesla’s pricing for different models, ranging from $59,990 for a Model Y to $114,000 for the Cybertruck. “Teslas can be purchased as low as $299/month or $35k,” his notes read.

At one point, Trump was asked whether the spectacle sent the wrong message – making a show of buying a pricey car, while some Americans are struggling with their retirement accounts as a result of a volatile economy that he has created by imposing more tariffs.

“I think they’re going to do great,” he said. “Our country had to do this. They had to go and do this. Other countries have taken away our business, they’ve taken away our jobs.”

Musk said he would remain the CEO of Tesla while working for the government. Asked how long he intended to stay in his role in the Trump administration, he responded, “I’ll stay as long as it’s useful.”

Tesla has long argued that vehicles using its driver-assistance programs – such as Autopilot and Full Self-Driving – are safer than those driven solely by humans. But the company faced a sweeping rebuke after a two-year federal investigation into hundreds of crashes, 13 of them fatal, concluded that Tesla was not doing enough to ensure its drivers remained attentive while using Autopilot.

The company’s challenges come amid a wave of protests across the country targeting Tesla facilities, including some violence and vandalism. More than a dozen violent or destructive acts have been directed at Tesla facilities since Trump’s inauguration, according to court documents, surveillance photographs, police records and local media reports reviewed by The Washington Post.

Toward the end of the South Lawn event Tuesday, Trump declared that he loved the company.

He said he couldn’t remember the last time he had purchased a car for himself. Eventually, he said he was going to buy the red car he had gotten into.

“The one I like is that one,” he said. “And I want that same color.”

He said he would pay full price for the vehicle, even as he mused that Musk would probably give him a discount were he to ask for one.

“I think his credit is good,” Musk said.

Trump said he preferred to pay the old-fashioned way.

“I give checks,” he said. “I like checks.”

By the end of Tuesday, the event had paid some dividends: Tesla stock, after a large sell-off Monday, ended the day up nearly 4 percent.