US Trump administration was set to purchase $400 million worth of armored Teslas - Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk is a top White House official who has been leading the Department of Government Efficiency, a unit focused on shrinking the federal workforce and ferreting out corruption.

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A Tesla Cybertruck moves along the beach in Boca Chica, Texas, on Nov. 18, 2024.
Eric Gay/AP

The Trump administration is expected to purchase $400 million worth of armored Tesla vehicles, according to a new State Department document detailing procurement for fiscal year 2025.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk is a top White House official who has been leading the Department of Government Efficiency, a unit focused on shrinking the federal workforce and ferreting out corruption.

The document does not specify what Tesla vehicles will be purchased by U.S. officials, but Musk's Cybertruck, with its militaristic design and stainless steel exterior, could be an option.

After reports circulated Wednesday night of the State Department's intent to purchase Tesla vehicles, the document was edited, at 9:12 p.m., and now says the federal contract is for $400 million worth of "armored electric vehicles," but the word "Tesla" was removed.

Responding to a segment by MSNBC's Rachel Maddow about the $400 million contract, Musk wrote on X on Wednesday night: "Hey @Maddow, why the lie?"

The State Department and Musk did not return requests for comment.

Musk, who spent more than a quarter-billion dollars to help elect Trump, has used an X account devoted to DOGE to highlight what he views as excessive or unnecessary federal contracts.

As Musk's deputies have gained access to nearly two dozen federal agencies, ethics experts have raised concern about the billionaire running into conflicts of interest, since Musk runs six companies, some of which are under investigation by government authorities. Musk's companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, also have multibillion-dollar contracts with the federal government.

Most of the federal money Musk has received has gone to SpaceX, the rocket company, for projects including work for NASA to launch Musk's Starship with astronauts to the moon.

A new Cybertruck starts at around $82,000, and about 38,000 were sold last year, according to Cox Automotive. The truck, which was unveiled in 2019 and began reaching customers in 2023, has faced complaints about rust, finger pinches and defective accelerator pedals.

The State Department document also shows that some Tesla competitors are set to receive lucrative, yet considerably smaller, contracts for armored vehicles, including from BMW, which is expected to supply about $40 million worth of SUVs to the federal government.

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Breadbassket said:
new State Department document detailing procurement for fiscal year 2025.
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Anyone that has to deal with government procurement and bidding know this deal was approved in 2024.
Funny enough NPR failed to mention when the contract was approved...in December 2024.

From Car and Driver:
The same report says that the original procurement forecast was originally published in December, after Donald Trump was elected but before he returned to office.
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Sorry NPR, we were just going to defund you but your reporting has slipped so much it's to the gallows.
 
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This was a Biden admin purchase anyways.
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archive: https://ghostarchive.org/archive/7o2uu


Heres an article from some Electric Vehicle fanboy site about it
article: https://electrek.co/2025/02/12/us-s...et-line-for-armored-teslas-worth-400-million/
archive: https://archive.ph/bI1s5

US State Department has budget line for ‘Armored Teslas’ worth $400 million

The US State Department’s procurement forecast for the 2025 budget includes an item called “Armored Teslas” worth $400 million.

But worry not; it was approved under the Biden Administration, so Elon Musk’s DOGE will undoubtedly eliminate this waste. Right?


Elon Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are currently examining a large amount of US government spending.

It’s unclear if he got to the US State Department’s procurement forecast because there are a few interesting lines that would give auditors second thoughts.

The most interesting one is “Armored Tesla (Production Units)”, which is worth $400 million. Strangely, the item is listed under the NAICS code “311999 – All Other Miscellaneous Food Manufacturing.”

The program has a target for delivery in Q4 through the next 5 years


There are several other similar and strange budgeted items that are linked to the wrong categories:

You have “ARMORED SEDAN” under “Soft Drink Manufacturing,” “ARMORED BMW X5/X7” under “Bottled Water Manufacturing,” and finally, ARMORED EV (NOT SEDAN) under “Ice Manufacturing.”

However, all these other armored vehicle-related items are budgeted at a fraction of the $400 million for Tesla vehicles ($50 million, $40 million, and $40 million, respectively).

The State Department procurement forecast website mentions that the list was last updated in December – before Trump entered office.

Electrek has contacted the State Department for a comment, and we will update you if we get an answer.

Tesla has claimed that its Cybertruck is “armored” and “bulletproof”, but its armored capacity is quite limited. It can likely deflect low-velocity bullets if they hit the doors, but that’s about it.
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LaxerBRO said:
Anyone that has to deal with government procurement and bidding know this deal was approved in 2024.
Funny enough NPR failed to mention when the contract was approved...in December 2024.

From Car and Driver:

View attachment 6978203
Sorry NPR, we were just going to defund you but your reporting has slipped so much it's to the gallows.
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Is a procurement forecast approved by POTUS though? Can Trump not revoke that approval if he wanted like he has other Biden stuff? Are Cybertrucks really a worthwhile investment anyway?
 
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BlewberryNausea said:
Is a procurement forecast approved by POTUS though? Can Trump not revoke that approval if he wanted like he has other Biden stuff? Are Cybertrucks really a worthwhile investment anyway?
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trump admin already edited the line to just say "Armored Electric Vehicles"
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archive: https://ghostarchive.org/archive/jEHJJ

zerohedge has a pretty good writeup on the whole thing
archive: https://archive.ph/p7wjC
 
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Autistic Integrity said:
trump admin already edited the line to just say "Armored Electric Vehicles"
View attachment 6978254
archive: https://ghostarchive.org/archive/jEHJJ

zerohedge has a pretty good writeup on the whole thing
archive: https://archive.ph/p7wjC
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I guess we’ll see if Pam Bondi starts driving around in an armored Tesla Musk got the $400 million or not.
 
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Why add more weight to a battery operated vehicle? Need to remember that the president's motorcade vehicles are already book-sized armored including the glass. You want something with horsepower to GTFO in a hurry and to be able to out-run your attackers if they pursue.
 
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CoffeeCup said:
Why add more weight to a battery operated vehicle? Need to remember that the president's motorcade vehicles are already book-sized armored including the glass. You want something with horsepower to GTFO in a hurry and to be able to out-run your attackers if they pursue.
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Internal combustion engines are also suseptible to gas attack, a hybrid solution is clearly the best. Electric vehicles work in a case like this because routes and departures/arrivals are all preplanned so you can have them topped off and ready to go. Electric engines provide large amounts of instant torque to push any roadblock attempt away.
 
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Bonesjones said:
Internal combustion engines are also suseptible to gas attack, a hybrid solution is clearly the best. Electric vehicles work in a case like this because routes and departures/arrivals are all preplanned so you can have them topped off and ready to go. Electric engines provide large amounts of instant torque to push any roadblock attempt away.
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It doesn't matter when the Secret Service won't do fuck all to protect Trump anyway, as evidenced last year.
 
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