President Donald Trump exits a Tesla Model S vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"Well, I think they're going to do great. I think our country had to do this. We had to go and do this. They've taken away – other countries have taken away our business. They have taken away our jobs," Trump replied. "This economy, in my opinion, is going to blow it away."
TRUMP BUYS RED TESLA MODEL S AT WHITE HOUSE ALONGSIDE ELON MUSK: 'I LIKE SIGNING A CHECK!'
"I have to do this. I have to get the workers back. I have to get the factories open. We have 90,000 factories and plants are closed… We're taking it back. We're taking our jobs back," Trump added.
Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., were quick to oppose Trump's Tesla photo op. "Grocery prices are soaring. Housing costs are skyrocketing. Retirement savings are plummeting. But Donald Trump thought today would be a good day to play car salesman," Warren said in a post.
President Donald Trump holds notes on the pricing of Tesla vehicles as he delivers remarks on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025. Trump spoke out against calls for a boycott of Elon Musk's companies and said he would purchase a Tesla vehicle in what he calls a 'show of confidence and support." (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
"After mocking President Biden for using note cards, Trump got caught red-handed today – holding his own notes on what to say about buying a Tesla, a car he clearly knows nothing about. So, is the media gonna make a big deal out of this? Or nah?" Democratic political strategist Chris D. Jackson posted on X.
But Trump admitted he didn't "need notes," making a jab at his predecessor.
"Do you want my notes? They gave me notes. I'm not Biden. I don't need notes," Trump told reporters before hopping in the driver seat of his new Tesla Model S. "You think Biden could get into that car? I don't think so," Trump added.
Hundreds protest outside a Tesla showroom in New York City on March 8, 2025. (Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Trump's show of support for Musk comes on the heels of protests at Tesla showrooms across the country that have escalated to several instances of vandalism. The demonstrations began as protests against Elon Musk's leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which has led to massive federal workforce reductions and unveiled wasteful government spending.
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"It's really terrible that there's so much violence being perpetrated against people at Tesla, Tesla supporters, Tesla owners, Tesla stores. These are innocent people who have done nothing wrong," Musk told reporters on Tuesday.
"Elon Musk is being attacked, and his companies are being targeted because he is fighting to put Americans first," Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., defended Musk in a post.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and fellow Republican House members have called for investigations into the numerous vandalism cases against Tesla vehicles and charging stations across the country. Trump labeled the Tesla attacks "domestic terrorism."
Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/corruption-broad-daylight-dems-outraged-rump-playing-car-salesman-tesla