On Tuesday, Trump took a break from playing golf to do his co-president a solid by acting as a shill for Tesla cars. Despite a history of oft-expressed disgust for EVs, America's most oleaginous conman had one of Elon Musk's increasingly disfavored automobiles delivered to the White House lawn. There, the tech-ignorant clown acted like a late-night Ginzu knife huckster as he tried to reverse the rapid decline in Tesla sales by celebrating the awesomeness of a car he had never driven.
I am sure Musk appreciated the millions of dollars worth of free advertising — despite the likely audience of the infomercial being unlikely buyers of the product. But all was not sunshine and heterosexual rainbows at Tesla HQ.
On the same day as Tesla's CEO cavorted around like a sociopathic ferret, someone from the company sent a letter to Trump's trade representative, Ambassador Jamieson Greer, warning that Tesla—along with other US car makers—would be harmed by countries retaliating to Trump's trade tariffs.
As the letter was unsigned, we do not know if this missive was sent with Musk's tacit approval or whether it was a plea from the bunker by a concerned Tesla citizen desperate to reverse the sales decline engendered by the company's CEO.
This is how the Financial Times reported the matter:
In an unsigned letter addressed to US trade representative Jamieson Greer, Tesla said that it "supports" fair trade but warned that US exporters were "exposed to disproportionate impacts when other countries respond to US trade actions."
"For example, past trade actions by the United States have resulted in immediate reactions by the targeted countries, including increased tariffs on EVs imported into those countries," the Austin, Texas-based company wrote in the letter dated March 11.
Tesla's letter follows two weeks of erratic trade policy announcements that have rattled businesses and financial markets as investors worry about the growing risks of the world's largest economy being plunged into a recession.
The letter went on to point out the obvious. Unlike the world in Trump's longed-for sweet spot, a mythical 1950s, manufacturing is now a global endeavor. A single car may owe its existence to parts and assembly dispersed across multiple countries.
The company told Greer that certain auto "parts and components are difficult or impossible to source within the US." It urged him to consider "domestic supply chain limitations to ensure that U.S. manufacturers are not unduly burdened by trade actions."
As one person privy to the letter said to explain the anonymity of the SOS:
"It's a polite way to say that the bipolar tariff regime is screwing over Tesla. It is unsigned because nobody at the company wants to be fired for sending it."
As far as I know, Musk has not launched an investigation to uncover the mole's identity. Ergo, I will bet that Musk has given his unstated blessing to the letter. Elon is full speed ahead in plying his job-cutting sadism, but heaven forbid any Trump policy interferes with his ability to enrich himself.
This dichotomous insanity is what the MAGA's voted for. When will they realize that trying to own the liberals enriches people who think (know) MAGAs are useful idiots?
