US President Donald Trump said 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.

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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.

Also read | Protests erupt at Tesla showroom in Portugal amid election concerns

“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.

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“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?”

Also read | Anti-Musk protests erupt at Tesla dealerships across US, nine arrested in New York

The president added that he would purchase a Tesla in the morning as a “show of confidence and support” for Musk.

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“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. He did not mention what model of Tesla he is planning to buy.

Also read | ‘A country is involved’: Elon Musk claims ‘massive cyberattack’ after X goes down worldwide

He further defended the billionaire, saying, “Why should he be punished for putting his tremendous skills to work in order to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN???”

Tesla CEO shared Trump’s post on his platform X and wrote, “Thank you, President Donald Trump!”

Tesla stock crashes amid protests

The electric car company’s shares have significantly dropped by a third since Trump became president. In the last month, Tesla’s stock suffered a loss of more than 28 per cent in its price and nearly 32 per cent since January 1.

Protests have been staged at multiple Tesla dealerships across the country, including at a Manhattan showroom, where six people were arrested on Saturday (Mar 8).

Also read | ‘Thank you to DOGE’: Trump’s State Secy Rubio slashes 83% of USAID programmes, Musk says ‘tough but necessary’

Last month, a Tesla showroom in Colorado was vandalised after a 40-year-old women reportedly painted “Nazi cars” on the building and threw Molotov cocktails at the vehicles.

There are also reports from Tesla owners that their cars have been attacked as they protest against Musk. Some owners have replaced Tesla logos on their cars with other brand badges to prevent vandalisation or distance themselves from the DOGE head.

(With inputs from agencies)