Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump said he plans to keep the White House’s Starlink internet service and Tesla vehicle he bought.
“I may move the Tesla around a little bit, but I don’t think we’ll be doing that with Starlink. It’s a good service,” Trump told reporters on Monday.
He did not specify where the Tesla vehicle could be moved.
“I have a lot of locations. I had so many locations that I don’t know what to do with them all,” Trump said on Monday.
Trump was speaking at the Invest America Roundtable event when he was asked about his relationship with Elon Musk, who runs Tesla and Starlink parent company SpaceX.
Musk was a prominent backer and supporter of Trump, but their relationship appeared to break down last week. Musk publicly kicked off the row by criticizing Trump’s signature tax bill. He also agreed with an X post that called for Trump’s impeachment before deleting it.
In March, The New York Times reported that the White House had installed Musk’s satellite internet service. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Times that Starlink would “improve Wi-Fi connectivity on the complex.”
Trump bought a red Tesla Model S during a White House event in March. He said the purchase was a show of support for Musk.
On Thursday, Trump told reporters that he was “very disappointed” at Musk’s recent behavior. The president later threatened to cancel the subsidies and contracts that Musk’s businesses had received from the government, calling it “the easiest way to save money in our Budget.”
A senior White House official confirmed to Business Insider on Friday that Trump was considering selling or giving away the car.
Trump struck a more conciliatory tone on Monday.
“Look, I wish him well. You understand? We had a good relationship, and I just wish him well,” Trump told reporters.
But when asked if he would speak to Musk soon, Trump said he had not thought about it.
“I can imagine he wants to speak to me. I would think so. If I were him, I would want to speak to me and maybe he also already called. You have to ask him whether or not he has already called. But I would have no problem with it,” Trump said.
The White House, Tesla, and SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment from BI.
The post Musk is leaving the government. Trump is keeping 2 things. appeared first on Business Insider.
