A Tesla Cybertruck seemingly joined President-elect Donald Trump's motorcade on Tuesday as it made its way to a SpaceX launch in Texas.
On Tuesday night, Trump and his family joined Telsa and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for the sixth test launch of SpaceX's Starship rocket. The nearly 400ft-tall mega-rocket, comprised of the Starship spacecraft stacked atop the Super Heavy booster, launched off Boca Chica Beach outside of Brownsville, Texas.
It is unclear if Musk—or Trump himself—was in the Cybertruck, but videos show it among the Republican's motorcade.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's communication team and Tesla for comment.
"I'm heading to the Great State of Texas to watch the launch of the largest object ever to be elevated, not only to Space, but simply by lifting off the ground," Trump had posted to X, formerly Twitter, before the launch. "Good luck to @ElonMusk and the Great Patriots involved in this incredible project!"
Musk responded that he was "honored" to have Trump present. The billionaire greeted Trump on the walk to the rocket launch before the Cybertruck was seen in the motorcade, as recorded by Trump's deputy director of communications, Margo Martin.
Musk posted after the Starship landing that it was "successful."
The Cybertruck is a battery-electric pickup truck that Telsa released in 2023. It has a body designed by a unique polygon model consisting of stainless steel paneling. Musk had said his idea for the product was to create a "supertruck with crazy torque, dynamic air suspension and corner like it's on rails." He recently boasted that his electric vehicles scorch a Lamborghini supercar.
In October, Tesla issued a warning about 27,000 faulty Cybertruck vehicles that may have rear-view image delays. The company recalled the cars because the fault could increase the risk of crashes. This is not the first time Tesla has issued a recall for its Cybertruck.
Musk has been an ever-growing presence in Trump's inner circle. The president-elect's granddaughter Kai even said Musk had been promoted to "uncle status" during a family photo after Trump's 2024 presidential election win.
The billionaire and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will spearhead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, once Trump takes office in January. Trump said DOGE, which will not be an official government department, will "slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies."
Musk reportedly joined the president-elect in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The X owner also spent Election Day at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home and has been reported to have had a near-constant presence at the resort since the Republican's win two weeks ago.
English (US) ·