The Grift That Keeps On Grifting
Welcome To King Don's Tesla Dealership! 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!
Sigh.
We all knew that T2.0 would set a new bar for the amount of corruption and grift that would emanate from the White House.1 Trump wasted no time in confirming those thoughts when he launched the blatant money-grab that is the Trump Coin. Honestly, to try to discuss the incredible amount of self-dealing that is already happening, not to mention the myriad conflicts of interest that Musk and the DogePups have, would take a series of essays. Today I just want to focus on Trump turning the White House into a Tesla Dealership.
But First…
Corruption takes many forms. Whether it’s straight Quid Pro Quo, shady payments to shell corporations, or taking care of big donors through actions that the average guy can’t access, there are many ways to grift. It appears to me that this administration is trying to do a 100% Corruption Completion Speed Run, and they may just pull it off.
One area where this admin actually has some previous experience is using the power of the US Government, along with the visual symbols of our Democracy, to shill for supportive private companies. Even though it’s technically illegal, this isn’t the first time we have seen Trump incorporate the trappings of his position into an ad.
During the height of the Covid pandemic, the CEO of Goya Foods caused a bit of a stir when he glowingly praised Trump during an Oval Office meeting. This led to a barrage of criticism as well as boycotts of Goya products. Trump, who has always had a soft spot for those who suck up to him, posted a picture of himself in the Oval Office, surrounded by a collection of Goya products. His daughter Ivanka2 also came to the brand’s defense. It was a pretty unprecedented and transparently corrupt moment.
This Tuesday Only! Great Deals!
This brings us to the spectacle at the White House yesterday. While the stock market is tanking, primarily due to the ridiculous on/off tariff game Trump is playing with Canada and Mexico, one stock in particular is apparently of special interest to occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Tesla, the primary source of Elon Musk’s wealth and the collateral for the loan he took out to purchase Twitter, has lost all of its gains since the Inauguration.
Biden’s inauguration. Yes, you read that right. On January 22, 2021, Tesla was selling at $282/share. It peaked on December 17, 2024 at $479. Apparently the “horrible” Biden economy was very, very good to Elon’s company. Since Trump’s second inaugural, and the ensuing DOGE madness, Tesla has fallen off a cliff, closing at $222 on Tuesday.
The bottom dropping out of the stock obviously spooked someone at the White House. Trump bleated Tuesday night that boycotts of Tesla were "illegal”3 and that he was going to show solidarity by buying a Tesla the very next day. What no one expected, because it wasn’t put together until Wednesday morning, was Trump and Musk filming an infomercial for Tesla on the White House lawn, complete with Trump reading a sales pitch from his notes, including car pricing.
It was a blatant and disgusting display, in other words par for the course from T2.0. If I were the CEO of any competing EV manufacturer, I would be in court today, suing the Federal Government and demanding equal time for my products to be displayed on White House grounds.
Oh, by the way, that Tesla stock? Went up $40/share on Wednesday alone. So, while tens of thousands of Americans are being laid off by Musk, Trump is more concerned with his biggest donor’s bottom line and taking direct action to boost it. Must be nice.
I can’t wait to see what other goods and services our Dear Leader will hock in the People’s Front Yard. Fun times.
Take Care and Stay Strong
Well, anyone who is reading this knew. About half of the electorate either didn’t know, or didn’t care.
Who? Where have she and Jared been this time around? Not that I miss their vapid existence, but ya gotta wonder. Maybe they are hanging out with Melania.
Pay attention here folks. I am usually snarky here in the footnotes, but in recent days Dear Leader has pronounced protests, speech, and boycotts as illegal. None of these things are close to that, in fact they are all part of our most sacred right as Americans.