US President Donald Trump made a bold statement of support for Elon Musk by purchasing a sleek, red Tesla. Right by Trump's side, the company's CEO helped the US president pick his new ride on the White House driveway.

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As he settled into the driver's seat of the sleek Tesla Model X, Trump expressed his admiration saying, "Wow, that's beautiful".

To this, Musk jokingly remarked about "giving the Secret Service a heart attack" as he eased into the passenger seat.

The two talked about how the vehicle starts, which is famous for going up to 95 kilometres per hour in a few seconds. 

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Trump didn't get to take the Tesla for a spin since, as president, he's not allowed to drive. Instead, he said he plans to leave the car at the White House for his staff to use.

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'Musk would have given me a discount'

The US President said that he bought the car at the full price, around $80,000, without any discount.

He said that Musk would have given him a discount but joked about being accused of "taking benefits" if he did so.

"Musk would give me a discount, but if I do a discount, they're gonna say, Oh, I got benefits," he said.

"When I saw what was happening, I said that I want to buy a Tesla, and we just went to the front. He (Elon Musk) had four beautiful cars there, and I bought one in front of the press. It was a very public purchase, and they're beautiful and do a great job," he said.

Trump then called Musk a "patriot" and said, "He's done a great job...It's not that he's a Republican... Sometimes, I'm not even sure what he is in terms of his philosophy, but he's a great guy."

Trump vows to support Elon's 'baby' Tesla amid crashing stocks

The US president, on Monday (Mar 10), said that he will buy a Tesla to back Elon Musk’s “baby” after his company faced boycotts and plummeting stocks amid controversy surrounding his moves as Trump’s aide.

Trump defended the tech billionaire against “Radical Left Lunatics”, who are staging nationwide protests against Tesla as the CEO has been leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash government spending and jobs.

“To Republicans, Conservatives, and all great Americans, Elon Musk is “putting it on the line” in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social on Tuesday (Mar 11) midnight.

“But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s “baby,” in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for,” he said.

“They tried to do it to me at the 2024 Presidential Ballot Box, but how did that work out?”

“In any event, I’m going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American,” he said. 

(With inputs from agencies)