Tesla's stock price has dropped more than 40% since President Trump took office and Elon stepped into his role at the Department of Government Efficiency, aka DOGE (though it has seen a bounce back after this event). There have also recently been protests at Tesla dealerships, and Teslas have been vandalized and burned.

President Donald Trump held a promotional event for Tesla at the White House. Elon Musk accompanied him and the two essentially provided a sales pitch about the automaker. Their efforts led to a slight bump in Tesla stock price after an abysmal few months.

Critics said the spectacle stretched the bounds of what is ethical in the White House, with Trump openly seeking to boost the financial fortunes of Elon Musk.