Elon Musk is a 'car assembler', parts come from other countries, says White House

Elon Musk is a 'car assembler' and parts for his company come from other countries, said White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett on Monday. He also played down economic concerns over President Donald Trump's tariffs, saying the president has talked to world leaders all weekend and will listen to proposals for great deals.

The statement comes after the fervor around Musk reached new levels this past week. From his electric vehicle company Tesla reporting a huge drop in sale to him losing $11 billion in just two days- thanks to President Trump's tariffs- Musk's departure from DOGE is also near.

In a short span, Tesla reported first-quarter vehicle deliveries on Wednesday that failed to meet Wall Street expectations. They fell 13% from a year earlier.


Tesla sales plunged 13% in the first three months of this year, the largest drop in deliveries in its history, as backlash against CEO Elon Musk and growing competition took a large bite out of demand for its EVs. Tesla reported that it delivered 336,681 cars in the quarter, 50,000 fewer vehicles compared to the first three months of last year. The results were the company’s worst sales in nearly three years.

Tesla sales plunged 13% in the first three months of this year, the largest drop in deliveries in its history, as backlash against CEO Elon Musk and growing competition took a large bite out of demand for its EVs. Tesla reported that it delivered 336,681 cars in the quarter, 50,000 fewer vehicles compared to the first three months of last year. The results were the company’s worst sales in nearly three years.

And this was not just a commercial failure- it was a political one too. Tesla has faced protests outside its showrooms from those opposed to the actions of Musk in one of his other roles as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, and the policies of Donald Trump’s presidential administration. Musk's dive into right-wing politics, from dismantling government agencies with DOGE to firing thousands of federal workforce, has scorched Tesla's image.

“De-Musk America” hashtags trend online. Bumper stickers now apologise for owning a Tesla before the CEO, as some put it, “went rogue.”