Trump vs Musk fallout: US President likely to sell his Tesla Model S amid feud

The United States President Donald Trump and his former billionaire entrepreneur ally, Elon Musk, are currently not on good terms following an intense public feud that erupted this week. In the middle of the ongoing heated exchange of words on social media platforms, the US President is considering selling the Tesla Model S that he purchased in March, the New York Times reported.

A senior White House official apprised that President Trump has been thinking about selling or perhaps giving away the red Tesla Model S car that he purchased in March, the day after his relationship with Musk abruptly soured, the NYT report mentioned.

The Tesla vehicle has been parked at the White House for weeks, according to reports. Trump purchased the electric car as a gesture of support for Musk’s company after the Tesla CEO faced criticism from both consumers and others for his involvement in DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency).
Initially, Trump put the electric car on display at the White House on West Executive Avenue as a sign of his support for Musk and Tesla. However, Trump’s decision to give away the Model S highlights how cold the relationship between the two influential people has become.

In March, Trump and Musk hosted a White House event where they toured various Tesla models in response to criticism of the leading global EV maker stemming from Musk’s involvement in the Trump administration.

A string of attacks against Tesla-affiliated vehicles and locations had occurred at the time.

President Trump praised Elon Musk and referred to Tesla as ‘one of the world’s great automakers’ to further solidify his support. Moreover, Trump declared his intention to purchase a Tesla as a “show of confidence and support for Elon Musk.”

Trump’s opinion of Musk, however, changed dramatically on Thursday, June 5, after the multibillionaire criticised a significant tax bill that Trump wants Congress to approve for days.

Musk caused a stir when he called Trump’s proposed policy, the “Big Beautiful Bill”, a “disgusting abomination.” Musk went on to warn about a likely recession as a result of Trump’s tariffs, which further intensified the insults.

The CEO also claimed that Trump was ‘in the Epstein files’ and claimed that this was the real purpose why the deceased sex-trafficking convict Jeffrey Epstein’s files had not been made public so far.

Trump responded by threatening to revoke government subsidies and contracts with SpaceX for Musk’s businesses, claiming the tech entrepreneur had ‘gone crazy.’

However, the White House official stated that the President has not yet decided what to do with his Tesla vehicle, the NYT report added.