A day after a highly publicised fallout with billionaire Elon Musk, US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering parting ways with his Tesla vehicle.
The red Tesla Model S, which has been parked at the White House for weeks, was purchased by Trump in March as a show of support for Musk’s company.
“He’s thinking about it, yes,” a senior White House official told when asked if the Republican would sell or give away the Tesla.
The Teslas were delivered to the South Grounds of the White House on March 11, shortly after Musk indicated to Trump’s advisers that he intended to donate $100 million to groups aligned with Trump’s political operation. Unlike the vehicles, however, the promised funds have yet to materialise.
At the time, Trump had insisted on paying full price—around $80,000—to avoid criticism. “I don’t want a discount,” he said. “(Musk) would give me a discount, but if I do a discount, they’re gonna say, ‘Oh, I got benefits.’”
Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and senior aide Margo Martin were seen posing in the Tesla as recently as last week, with Martin sharing a photo on Musk’s platform X captioned, “Taking President Trump’s Tesla out for a ride.”
Trump’s support came at a low point for Tesla’s stock, and coincided with Musk’s increasing involvement in politics. However, their relationship soured sharply this week after Trump, during a televised Oval Office address, expressed disappointment with Musk for criticising his “big, beautiful” spending bill before Congress. “I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot,” Trump said, suggesting Musk suffered from “Trump derangement syndrome.”
Musk responded by accusing Trump of being ungrateful and even claimed—without evidence—that Trump’s name appeared in documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The public spat, which played out across social media, drew intense attention given Musk’s previous $300 million donation to Trump’s 2024 campaign. Reports of a potential reconciliation phone call were quickly quashed by the White House, with Trump saying he was “not particularly” interested in speaking with the Tesla CEO, adding that Musk had “lost his mind.”
