Elon Musk says Donald Trump calls him up out of the blue

• Elon Musk has stated former President Donald Trump generally calls him up out of the blue.

• The Tesla CEO made the feedback throughout Tesla’s annual shareholder assembly on Thursday.

• The obvious Musk-Trump telephone calls are consistent with a burgeoning chumminess between the 2 males.

Elon Musk could also be influencing Donald Trump’s stance on electrical autos throughout random telephone calls between the Tesla CEO and former president.

Musk recommended as a lot throughout Tesla’s annual shareholder assembly on Thursday after buyers voted to reinstate his multibillion-dollar pay package.

Throughout a question-and-answer section of the assembly, Musk was requested concerning the 2024 Republican presumptive nominee.

“Donald Trump has been an enormous critic of electric vehicles, however final week, he shocked us by saying he is an enormous fan of Tesla and an enormous fan of you,” the person stated, garnering applause. “What did you inform him?”

Trump has lengthy railed against EVs, portray them as inefficient and dangerous to American autoworkers. Trump beforehand vowed to undo President Joe Biden’s EV insurance policies and warned of an financial “massacre” ought to the doubtless inevitable transition to EVs proceed.

However in a complicated flip of occasions, Trump appeared to modify his tune at an Arizona rally earlier this month, telling the crowds that he was a “massive fan of electrical vehicles.”

“I am a fan of Elon,” Trump stated, in accordance with a Tesla trade media outlet. “I like Elon, I like him, and I feel lots of people are going to need to purchase an electrical automotive.”

Trump’s obvious about-face may very well be due to his growing chumminess with Musk — a relationship the billionaire tech chief appeared to verify on Thursday.

“I will be persuasive,” Musk stated in response. “I’ve had some conversations with him, and he does name me out of the blue for no motive. I do not know why, however he does.”

Musk stated the previous president was “very good” when he referred to as. The Tesla CEO added that he’d tried to promote Trump on the local weather advantages of EVs, in addition to the patriotic perks.

“America is the chief in electrical vehicles,” Musk stated Thursday.

Trump’s altering tune on Tesla may also have one thing to do with the affect of his buddies, Musk added.

“I feel a whole lot of his buddies now have Teslas,” Musk stated. “All of them find it irresistible. And he is an enormous fan of the Cybertruck.”

Each males have publicly aligned themselves with the opposite in current weeks: Musk defended Trump hours after he was convicted on 34 felony counts, calling the matter “trivial.” Trump, in the meantime, mentioned offering Musk an advisory role in his administration ought to he win in November, The Wall Road Journal reported final month. The outlet additionally reported that Musk and Trump had breakfast collectively in March with their sons X and Barron Trump, together with the billionaire Nelson Peltz, throughout which they criticized Biden.

A consultant for Trump did not instantly reply to a request for remark from Enterprise Insider.

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