The Trump family has announced a 25% tariff on vehicles that compete with Tesla. What many are calling an obvious “Tesla Tax” disproportionately benefits Elon Musk personally by placing a substantial burden on American car companies that use any parts or labor in Canada and Mexico.
The swamp like evidence of corruption is not even obscured.
First, the Trump family hosted what amounted to a Tesla promotional event on their house lawn, complete with five Tesla vehicles prominently displayed in the driveway as Trump praised Tesla’s deeply flawed and dangerous products. During the event, Trump sat in the notoriously deadly Model S, which has allegedly killed dozens if not hundreds of Americans, exclaiming “Wow. That’s beautiful.”
Second, in an even more direct corruption, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick explicitly told television viewers to purchase Tesla stock, stating, “It will never be this cheap. Buy Tesla.” This statement has been flagged even by ethics novices as a clear violation of federal laws prohibiting government officials from using their positions for private endorsements.
The timing of the promotion of Tesla- as if the only car Americans are allowed to buy now-is particularly noteworthy as the Trump family has announced of a 25% tariff on competitors to Tesla.
Donald… said he is buying a “brand new Tesla” and blamed [Americans who don’t buy Tesla] for “illegally” boycotting Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company. The announcement came a day after Tesla suffered its worst share price fall in nearly five years. Later, the president also said he would label [anyone hurting] Tesla showrooms as domestic terrorism.
The Trump family has literally tried to argue Americans should be charged with a crime if they don’t buy a Tesla.
While the new tax on competitors to Tesla is presented as a measure to boost American manufacturing by attacking American manufacturers, the structure of the tariff favors Tesla. Major American manufacturers are known for relying heavily on long-standing supply chains that span Mexico and Canada.
Any automakers with manufacturing networks that are more distributed and more humane-versus the racist, anti-labor, dangerous OSHA violating Tesla factories-stand to face significantly higher taxes. This potentially artificially blows up a vehicle safety price by thousands of dollars for American consumers. Meanwhile, Tesla’s Texas-based production that has almost no sales demand now, but many public lawsuits, avoids regulations and taxes.
The administration projects the heavy tax burden will take in $100 billion a year from already overtaxed American car buyers. This is not just a mechanism to disadvantage Tesla’s competition, while the administration actively promotes Musk’s company, but obvious robbery of the poor to feed the rich.
For consumers, the peak of graft and corruption is clear: either pay 25% more for superior and safer vehicles or, as the Trump family and staff explicitly bleat and blare, “Buy Tesla”.
And don’t forget, Tesla software kills more Americans than even domestic terrorists.
Tesla has hardware design defects related to fires at 3X the rate of the Ford Pinto.
Presenting these facts and truth shouldn’t be compromised out of concern for how those opposed to anti-corruption might react.
In journalism and political commentary, there’s a long tradition of calling out concerning patterns of behavior and policy decisions without diluting the message to appease those who might dismiss it to enable their own embrace of illegal acts. When evidence points to favoritism, conflicts of interest, or potentially harmful policies, clear and direct reporting serves anl very important function.
Ask me about the Teapot Dome Scandal. This is far worse.
When a “Donald policy” appears to favor a specific company CEO with documented safety ethics issues, while the Trump family and its staff explicitly promote that company’s products and stock, it creates legitimate national security concerns that deserve immediate attention.