The U.S. president does his best “But wait, there’s more!” infomercial on behalf of Elon Musk on the White House South Lawn
On Tuesday, I witnessed the demise of democracy. Actually, we all did. A sitting president of those United States spent just shy of 30 minutes hawking a product being manufactured by the man whose USD$288 million was the deciding factor in said president’s ascension to the White House, a man whose merchandise — a car, by the way, ’cause this is Driving — is regulated by the very governmental agencies he is tasked with decimating. As conflicts of interest go, it’s hard to imagine a transgression so onerous as watching — live on national television, no less — Elon Musk sitting in the front seat of a Model 3, explaining its many features to Donald Trump like they’re in a Tesla showroom.
Trump supporters can carp all they like that Democrats are just as guilty — and they are — on the Hunter Biden thing, but having the president of the most powerful nation in the world reduced to something akin to Ronco Veg-A-Matic’s Ron Popeil — “But wait, there’s more!” — is a disgrace even the seediest autocrats wouldn’t dare stoop to. Nicolas Maduro would, at the very least, have the good sense not to get caught reading from crib notes outlining each model’s price walk.
So, even though the EV Politics Project report makes clear that 76% of Trump voters had a favourable opinion of Tesla’s CEO — versus just 5% of Harris supporters — the problem is they seem unlikely to buy one of his cars. To wit, amongst car brands generally — be they domestic, Asian, or German, or Ford, Volkswagen, or Toyota — Democrats and Republicans have roughly the same favourable-unfavourable splits. On the other hand, almost four times as many Republicans have an unfavourable view of any EV brand compared with their Democrat compatriots.
Musk, according to the study, is also more popular with people who drive ICE-powered vehicles than EV owners, and now also has an incredible following amongst pickup owners, this despite their seeming disdain for his Cybertruck. Even more telling perhaps is that, although many Republicans see him as a “good ambassador” for electric vehicles, he is seriously underwater with those who think “climate change is a serious problem,” and three-quarters of those who look upon him favourably think “EVs are for Leftists.”
Tally it all up and it appears unlikely Musk’s new Republican followers will replace all the progressives no longer visiting Tesla showrooms. In other words, Trump announcing that he is going to buy a Tesla is unlikely to improve the company’s sales. Much more likely, in fact, is that it will make Tesla’s prospects even worse. Little wonder, then, the slide in TSLA stock continues unabated.
Trump announcing he is going to buy a Tesla is unlikely to improve the company’s sales—much more likely, in fact, is that it will make Tesla’s prospects even worse
In fact, I started writing that Lord Elon was Trump’s brother-from-another-mother more than five years ago. I cited what I thought then was more than obvious: their supposed “genius”-level intellects that seemed in want of exercise; their view that insult was not only effective communication, but a God-given privilege subject to no rebuke; their complete refusal to accept that the same rules and regulations that governed others also applied to them; or the apparent belief women are, depending on which brother you’re talking to, playthings to be “grabbed” at your leisure or, worse yet, simple breeding stock.
The response was — and, believe you me, it was all from the Lefties now posting “I bought this before Elon went crazy” bumper stickers on their Model Ys — loud and forceful, “Dave, you’re crazy, they’re not at all alike,” being the general gist of their dismissals of my obvious foolishness. Elon was their saviour, and, as the protector of all things environmental and progressive, he could do no wrong.
What I’m trying to say to all the high-minded out there, indignant — nay, outraged — at what Elon has become, understand that you are to blame. You made Elon rich and powerful beyond words. You turned a barely-noteworthy CEO — of a car company, no less — into the God-like figure he now sees in the mirror. And you are the people who forgave his every trespass — “funding secured, “pedo-guy,” and all the other stupidities you chose to ignore — because he was doing the Lord’s work.
So, yes, he turned into an asshat. He, like his brother from another mother, now seems to blame president Zelensky for all Ukraine’s problems. He also seems determined to repopulate the entire world all by himself. And, in one seriously ill-conceived infomercial on the White House South Lawn, he’s managed to compromise what (very) little remained of Donald Trump’s integrity.
But you knew that — or at least I warned you — and still you genuflected. Remember that the next time you’re calling all conservatives stupid.
Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on X, Tiktok and LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.