WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump shopped for a new Tesla on the White House driveway Tuesday, selecting a shiny red sedan to show his support for Elon Musk 's electric vehicle company as it faces blowback because of his work to advance the president's political agenda and downsize the federal government.
“Wow," Trump said as he eased his way into the driver's seat of a Model S. “That's beautiful.â€
Musk got in on the passenger side and joked about “giving the Secret Service a heart attack†as they talked about how to start a vehicle that can reach 60 miles per hour in a few seconds.
Marsha Partin, right, stands with other demonstrators Saturday during a protest of billionaire Elon Musk near a Tesla vehicle dealership in Decatur, Ga.
Trump told reporters that he would write a check for the car, which retails for roughly $80,000, and leave it at the White House so his staff can drive it. The president also said he hopes his purchase will boost Tesla, which is struggling with sagging sales and declining stock prices.
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“It's a great product,†he said. Referring to Musk, Trump said “we have to celebrate him.â€
It was the latest — and most unusual — example of how Trump demonstrated loyalty to Musk, who spent heavily on his comeback campaign last year and has been a key figure in his second administration. Tesla's stock price increased nearly 4% on Tuesday after dropping almost 48% since Trump took office in January.
The Republican president announced on social media overnight that he was going to buy a new Tesla as “a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American.â€
Musk continues to run Tesla — as well as the social media platform X and the rocket manufacturer SpaceX — while also serving as Trump's adviser.
Presidents almost never drive for security reasons. Joe Biden got behind the wheel of an electric truck while promoting domestic manufacturing, and Barack Obama took a spin with Jerry Seinfeld in the White House driveway for a comedy show.
A member of the Seattle Fire Department inspects a burned Tesla Cybertruck on Monday at a Tesla lot in Seattle.
Regardless of the practicality of Trump's purchase, his overnight announcement about buying a Tesla represented another step in how the president has blurred lines by bringing Musk into his administration.
Musk is the world's richest person, with billions of dollars in government contracts. He's also exerting sweeping influence over Trump's administration through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and traveling frequently with the president.
During an interview with the Fox Business Network on Monday, host Larry Kudlow asked Musk "how are you running your other businesses" while also advising Trump.
"With great difficulty," he said.
"But there's no turning back, you say?" Kudlow responded.
"I'm just here trying to make government more efficient, eliminate waste and fraud," Musk said.
Tesla has recently faced protests and vandalism. Police are investigating gunshots fired at a dealership in Oregon, and fire officials are examining a blaze that destroyed four Cybertrucks at a Tesla lot in Seattle.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, left, and then-nominee Donald Trump attend a campaign event Oct. 5 at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pa.
At times, the White House has needed to play cleanup for Musk, who had never worked in public service before and admitted that he'll make mistakes along the way.
For example, Musk presented inflated estimates of fraud in government benefits like Social Security on Monday, leading Democrats to argue that he was planning cuts to the popular programs.
"Most of the federal spending is entitlements," Musk said in the interview. "That's the big one to eliminate."
The next morning, a White House account on social media criticized news organizations as "lying hacks" and told Democrats to "spare us the fake outrage" about reducing benefits.
"He was clearly talking about the WASTE in the programs," the White House posted.
EVs for all: How car shares are making electric vehicles accessible
EVs for all: How car shares are making electric vehicles accessible
Edwin Lindo used to see new electric vehicle chargers as a sign he was about to be priced out of his neighborhood. "Communities who have been historically gentrified, historically marginalized," he says, "we don't typically get opportunities to access beneficial technologies."Â
Two EV chargers are now in front of Estelita's Library, the Seattle community library and bookstore Lindo cofounded. One can be used by anyone, and the other is reserved for a rentable wheelchair-accessible EV owned by the electric car-share cooperative ZEV that costs $8 per hour to use.
The ZEV EV is used by locals for church, hospital visits, and field trips. Sometimes, Lindo drives the car around and gives a ride to someone carrying too many groceries.Â
ZEV (which stands for "zero emissions vehicle") operates 11 vehicles around Washington State. It's part of a growing movement of community-first EV car shares. is the third-largest source of CO2 emissions in the country. Passenger cars and light-duty trucks contribute 57% of these emissions. EVs could be a key driver of electrification—and car shares can help make EVs more accessible and reduce car ownership— °ù±ð±è´Ç°ù³Ù²õ.Ìý
Tax credits and low maintenance costs , but the upfront cost is still a barrier, says Lindo: "It's hard to see long-term savings when you are constantly thinking, 'How do I survive?'"
, nonprofits like San Francisco's City CarShare and PhillyCarshare gained traction in the US. But in the 2010s, corporations acquired many of these nonprofits.
Since 2016, the federal government has funded community-first EV car shares for low-income and underserved communities. In 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act included $13.2 billion for car-sharing and the Build Back Better Act granted $1 billion for electric vehicle infrastructure in underserved communities. At the state level, California has invested the most, with $70 million through the California Air Resources Board from 2015 to 2021.Â
Across the U.S., community-first EV car shares range in scale from two to 300 vehicles. Examples include MÃocar and BlueLA in California and Evie in Minnesota, among others, which charge between $4 and $16 an hour.
Launched in 2021, ZEV is the only publicly funded car-sharing co-op. A co-op can be more flexible when seeking revenue, founder Greg Dronkert says.
On an individual level, users can be subscribers or members. Subscribers pay a $15 registration fee, a $20 monthly access fee, and $16 per hour each time. Members pay a $500 equity investment and only $8 an hour to use a car. One membership equals one vote and the opportunity to run for the board. For now, most enjoy $5 per hour or $8 per hour introductory rates, depending on the car. A $5 low-income rate is also available. All locations have a grant-funded dedicated charger exclusive to the car share.
To scale, ZEV partners with organizations like Estelita's and the supermarket Town and Country Markets as well as entities like the city of Port Townsend. Through their membership, a community group can buy memberships for their neighbors. Then group members pay $8 an hour, with no other fees.
To collect enough user fees to be self-sustaining, ZEV still has a long way to go: It will need a total of 135 and 145 EVs that are in use 50% of the time.
Affordable car shares increase transportation access and lower living costs. But initiatives scale slowly and have to match their growth to people's excitement. Â
MÃocar founder Gloria Huerta says that for their 2019 launch, 100 people signed up overnight for their single vehicle. Now, with 45 cars in nine locations in California (expected to double next year), MÃocar is one of the most sustainable car-share nonprofits.
The barrier is low: A $20 membership fee and an orientation grants a few hours of driving credit. Huerta hasn't raised the $4 per hour and $35 a day launching rate.Â
Jennifer Flores always felt it was unfair that EVs were unaffordable. "People of low income commute every day to work. Rich people don't have to," she says. "A lot of us cannot afford gas prices."Â
Last February, Flores junked her 2001 Honda Civic after she couldn't afford a $1,000 repair. MÃocar helps her get groceries—especially bigger items like dog food or sales.Â
This past summer, she completed a community health worker certificate at a nearby university. Saturday classes started at 9 a.m., but on weekends, the bus service didn't start until 9:30 a.m. Using MÃocar, she got to class on time and without worrying about gas prices. The certificate led to a job planting trees in her community.  Â
But although the nonprofit has 700 members, only 75 use the cars monthly.
MÃocar rewards social media posts and filling out surveys after each drive with driving credit. One member filled out 500 surveys, driving her children to school, doctor's appointments, and getting groceries in the process.
"We don't want to be transactional," Huerta says. "We want to make sure that if someone is taking the time to fill up a survey and also providing feedback, we're incentivizing them."
The nonprofit works with UC Davis to analyze and include the results in its grant proposals. Huerta says they're funded through 2028.
Huerta points to the community's attentiveness as another buy-in sign. "If they see a flat tire in one of the vehicles, they'll call us," she says. "Car share allows the community to feel like they are part of something."Â
A car share can't always follow a community's needs. Sometimes, electrical panels are not up to the standards. Installing a charger requires expensive underground digging, says Huerta.
And the nonprofit model isn't a silver bullet. Boston-based Good2GO, a partner of Huerta's, shut down in August due to high costs and funding shortages.
Huerta says MÃocar managed to keep cars after funding ran out for specific locations. "At the end of the day," she says, "these vehicles were purchased to stay in the community."
Nighel Cobb and his wife have lived on Bainbridge Island, Washington for a year. He learned about ZEV from walking by one of its cars parked at City Hall, which is near his house. After an accident left them with one car, Cobb, who works from home, considered buying an EV. But with his wife's military relocation likely, he wasn't sure about infrastructure at their next location.
For five months, Cobb had medical appointments and used a car five times a week. Now his usage is more occasional. Having access to the EV network has been especially useful when he takes the ferry to Seattle. With car wait times increasing on ferries, Cobb can board the ferry by foot and easily rent a car on the other side.
Now a subscriber, he is considering a membership upgrade.
Cobb has recommended ZEV to a friend with an older car. "It gives him a lot of trouble and he's really only using it to go to and from job interviews," he says. "It adds an additional stressor to him because he is trying to balance these car payments and these other issues that his car presents."
Both word-of-mouth and outreach events help. MÃocar organizes events for each new location added to their system. Last month at Estelita's Library, the ZEV team pitched the service to passersby. As Lindo put it, there are no shortcuts: "This is community work, and it takes time."
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