A Tesla Cybertruck at a Tesla dealership on Dec. 20, 2024 in Corte Madera, Calif. A State Department procurement document suggested the Trump administration planned to buy $400 million worth of Tesla vehicles to transport diplomats. The administration now says no such purchase is planned. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The controversy started in a very Washington way: as a line item in a government spreadsheet buried on the State Department’s website.
It appeared as if the State Department was taking steps to award Elon Musk’s Tesla a $400 million government contract to buy armored electric vehicles to securely