At Tesla’s 2024 Cyber Roundup, CEO Elon Musk addressed shareholder questions about his interactions with former President Donald Trump. The Q&A session provided insight into Musk’s discussions with Trump, who has recently expressed support for Tesla despite his previous criticisms of electric vehicles.
“Donald Trump has been a big critic of electric vehicles,” a shareholder noted, eliciting laughter from Musk. “But last week, he surprised us by saying he’s a big fan of Tesla and a big fan of you. What did you tell him?”
Musk responded, “Well, you know, I can be persuasive. I have had some conversations with him, and he does call me out of the blue for no reason. I don’t know why, but he does.”
“He’s very nice when he calls and you know I was like, ‘You know electric cars are pretty good for the future. America’s the leader in electric cars.’ You know, ‘buy American and stuff,’” Musk continued. He speculated that Trump’s change of heart might be due to his social circle. “I think a lot of his friends now have Teslas. And they all love it. And he’s a huge fan of the Cybertruck.”
Trump’s comments about Musk came the same day as his appearance on Logan Paul’s “Impaulsive” podcast, where he described Musk as “a spectacular guy.” Earlier reports indicated that Musk might be considered for an advisory role if Trump wins a second term.
In other shareholder meeting news, investors voted to uphold Musk’s 2018 compensation package, despite it being previously invalidated by Delaware Chancery Court Judge Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick. The judge had criticized the process behind the approval of Musk’s pay, citing extensive ties between Musk and those negotiating on Tesla’s behalf. Nevertheless, shareholders reaffirmed their support for the pay package and agreed to move Tesla’s incorporation from Delaware to Texas, following Musk’s criticism of Delaware’s judicial interference.
