The State Department said Thursday that it had put plans to buy armored electric vehicles on hold after reports that the $400 million order would go to Tesla, whose chief executive, Elon Musk, is one of President Trump’s most important advisers and supporters.
The agency pushed back against suggestions that the purchase was designed to benefit Mr. Musk, saying in a statement that the plans stemmed from a request by the Biden administration “to explore interest from private companies to produce armored electric vehicles.”
“The solicitation is on hold and there are no current plans to issue it,” the State Department said.
The planned purchase was listed in the department’s procurement forecast for 2025, which is designed to give businesses a chance to compete for projects. The document was published in December, after Mr. Trump won the election but before he took office.
Tesla’s name was removed from the document after the existence of the list was reported late Wednesday. Plans to order Tesla vehicles had provoked controversy because of Mr. Musk’s close association with Mr. Trump.
Mr. Musk spent more than $250 million to help elect Mr. Trump, who then appointed him as the leader of a cost-cutting initiative that’s been called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
The State Department document did not specify which Tesla model it planned to buy, but the electric Cybertruck, which has a body of high-strength stainless steel, would be the most suitable.
Later on Wednesday, a different version of the procurement document appeared online. It referred to “armored electric vehicles,” omitting any mention of Tesla. But even that project is off the table for now, the department said. It said it would still allow companies to submit proposals.
The plan to buy armored electric vehicles, whether Teslas or other makes, would be a departure for the Trump administration. Among Mr. Trump’s first actions as president were executive orders calling for the removal of incentives and regulations that promoted electric vehicles.
Such cars and trucks were central to President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s efforts to fight climate change. In 2021, he signed an executive order encouraging government agencies to buy electric vehicles and setting a goal of buying only vehicles with no tailpipe emissions for federal fleets by 2035.
Still, plans to spend $400 million on Teslas raised eyebrows given that Mr. Musk has been posting almost hourly on X, the social media site he owns, about wasteful government spending.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. On X, Mr. Musk shared a post from a supporter that said a report on the topic by Rachel Maddow of MSNBC was a “hit piece.” He also said that he was never informed of the State Department’s intention to purchase armored Teslas.
Mr. Musk is already a major government contractor. Companies he owns or controls have secured $13 billion in federal contracts over the past five years. SpaceX, the rocket company he founded, collects most of that money and is one of the biggest government contractors.
Plans to purchase Cybertrucks were reported on Wednesday by Drop Site News.
Tesla would not have collected all of the $400 million in the order. Some of the money would have gone to firms that upgrade the vehicles to withstand attacks, such as Armormax, a company in Ogden, Utah.
Justin Johnson, operations manager at Armormax, acknowledged in a brief telephone interview on Wednesday that there had been interest in the company’s product from the Trump administration, but said he was not authorized to comment further.
The Cybertruck remains a likely choice for any government agency looking for rugged electric vehicles. Mr. Musk has portrayed the vehicle as “apocalypse ready,” although some people have posted videos on social media that appear to show the vehicle struggling in difficult conditions like snow.
Other vehicles might also match the specifications of the order, such as General Motors’ GMC Hummer pickup and sport-utility vehicle or the electric version of the Cadillac Escalade. G.M. has a division that sells armored and rugged versions of its vehicles to the U.S. and foreign governments.
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