"Trump Predicts 'Will Pick Tesla Tomorrow'... Test Drives Red 'Model S'"

On the 11th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump made supportive remarks about Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, while standing next to a red Tesla Model S parked on the South Lawn of the White House. Photo by AP Yonhap News

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In the early hours of the 11th (local time), as part of support for Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, U.S. President Donald Trump, who had announced the purchase of a new Tesla vehicle, test drove the car at the White House on the same day.

On the afternoon of the 11th, President Trump posted a video on Truth Social, the social networking service (SNS) he created, showing himself briefly getting into a red Tesla Model S sedan parked in the South Lawn of the White House with Musk. In the video, President Trump sat in the driver's seat and repeatedly praised the car as "beautiful."

Standing before reporters, President Trump, with Musk beside him, said, "The reason I am buying (a Tesla) is, first, because this product is truly excellent, and second, because this person has devoted his energy and life to this work."

He continued, "A very small group of people have treated him very unfairly, but I want people to understand that patriots should not be disadvantaged," adding, "Because he can uncover fraud, waste worth billions of dollars, and all kinds of problems, our country will soon become very strong."

He also emphasized, "There is no one like him in the world. He should not be punished (disadvantaged)," and "It should be the opposite. People should be enthusiastic and love the (Tesla) products." However, he noted that as president, he cannot drive the car himself and said he would "keep the newly purchased Tesla at the White House for staff to use."

After President Trump's remarks, Musk said, "I want to say that thanks to President Trump and his administration's excellent policies, Tesla will double its car production in the U.S. within the next two years."

Tesla, the world's number one electric vehicle company, has faced public backlash alongside CEO Musk, who has been a strong supporter of President Trump since the last U.S. presidential election campaign.

In an interview with Fox Business released after the stock plunge on the 10th, Musk acknowledged the host's observation that Tesla has recently become a target of attacks by Musk's opponents. Nevertheless, he maintained his stance on the federal agency spending cuts on DOGE and large-scale layoffs, saying, "We know we are doing the right thing here."

However, Tesla's stock rebounded by 3.79% overnight. The New York stock market was buoyed by the U.S. announcement of a temporary suspension of additional aluminum/steel tariffs on Canada. This came just one day after the stock plummeted 15.43% to close at $222.15 on the 10th. The market capitalization also evaporated by $130 billion (approximately 189 trillion won) in just one day based on the closing price.

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