Fox News White House Correspondent Peter Doocy revealed on Friday that the red Tesla that President Donald Trump purchased from Elon Musk during a White House event in March, as the automaker’s price plummeted, is reportedly poised to be sold or given away amid an epic rivalry between the two billionaires.
Doocy told Fox & Friends that the automobile Trump chose during the Tesla ceremony on the South Lawn is still in the White House driveway, but it may not be for long.
“We’re told that that Tesla, the red Tesla with Florida tags, is either going to be given away or sold off,” Doocy said.
The Tesla promotion came as indignation built over Musk’s controversial cost-cutting methods at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which resulted in Teslas being firebombed and the company’s stock price plummeting.
During the occasion, Trump bemoaned that even after purchasing the Tesla, he would be unable to drive it.
Doocy also reported that Trump and Musk’s spat was far from unexpected, with tensions building for nearly a month.
He also denied claims that Trump and Musk planned to speak via phone on Friday.
“Aides are telling me that is not something they are tracking,” Doocy said. “It’s possible that some staffers might try to talk to Musk, but no Trump and Musk call at least not that we know about.”
WATCH:
President Donald Trump responded with a remarkably poised statement on Friday morning to the ongoing public conflict with billionaire Elon Musk.
“I’m not even thinking about Elon. He’s got a problem. The poor guy’s got a problem,” Trump said during a phone interview with CNN.
When asked about a potential phone call between the two, Trump answered: “No. I won’t be speaking to him for a while I guess, but I wish him well.”
People close to Trump have portrayed him as unhappy rather than furious at Musk. According to one aide who was with Trump on Thursday night, he appeared “bummed” over the split. And that is how he sounded on Friday morning.
Musk’s criticism of Trump’s signature tax and immigration bill sparked a verbal war on Thursday.
Musk suggested that Trump would have lost the 2024 election without him, backed calls for Trump’s impeachment, and even claimed that Trump was “in” the Epstein files regarding the investigation into the accused sex trafficker.
“That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” Musk posted.
Trump, in turn, had said Musk had gone “CRAZY” and suggested terminating Musk’s government contracts and subsidies.
Vice President JD Vance showed his support for Trump amid the public debate in a quick post on X, although hours after the back-and-forth between Trump and Musk began.
The post did not specifically respond to Musk’s accusations or condemn the Tesla billionaire, with whom Vance has a relationship dating back to his stint as Trump’s running mate and vice president.
“President Trump has done more than anyone in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads. I am proud to stand beside him,” Vance wrote on social media.
“There are many lies the corporate media tells about President Trump. One of the most glaring is that he’s impulsive or short-tempered. Anyone who has seen him operate under pressure knows that’s ridiculous,” Vance wrote, focusing his fury on the media.
The White House called the public feud between Trump and Elon Musk “an unfortunate episode from Elon, who doesn’t like the One Big Beautiful Bill because it doesn’t include his policies.”
“The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Just hours after accusing Trump, without evidence, of being in the Epstein files, Musk appeared to soften his tone, even agreeing with a post on X urging the two to “make peace.”
Musk’s first clue that he was backing down came from an account on X with just over 141 followers, who advised him to “cool off” and “take a step back.”