 "While purchasing a new car, Trump mentioned that he would not actually be driving it. AP")
US President Donald Trump purchased a shiny, red Tesla to show his support for Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company.
A video of Trump seated in a Tesla Model S has been circulating online. In the video, he appears impressed by the car’s advanced interface and said that it is unlike any other panel he has seen in a vehicle.
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Elon Musk then took the wheel, personally showing the car’s features to the president.
Earlier, during a press interaction with Musk on Tuesday, Trump mentioned that he is not allowed to drive the vehicle but would purchase a Tesla for White House staff to use.
Are US presidents not allowed to drive? If so, why?
Let’s take a look:
Why US presidents are not allowed to drive
While purchasing a new car, Trump mentioned that he would not actually be driving it.
“I’m gonna buy one, now here’s the bad news. I’m not allowed to drive,” he said.
“I haven’t driven a car in a long time. And I love to drive cars. But I’m gonna have it at the White House and I’m gonna let my staff use it. I’m gonna let people at the place use it. They all are all excited about that.”
“I’m not allowed to use it,” he continued. “Can you believe it?”
So, why is Trump not allowed to drive?
Notably, current and former US presidents and vice presidents are prohibited from driving on public roads.
This restriction is primarily for security reasons and is enforced by the US Secret Service, the government agency responsible for protecting the nation’s top officials.
According to FOX 5 DC, the Former Presidents Act, which became federal law in 1958, grants US presidents several benefits after leaving office, including a pension, health insurance, and lifetime Secret Service protection.
This includes a designated driver, meaning they are not allowed to drive on public roads.
For security purposes, high-profile government figures, including Barack Obama , Joe Biden, and both Bill and Hillary Clinton, rely on their Secret Service teams, who are trained in “evasive and defensive driving manoeuvres.”
The 1963 assassination of John F Kennedy was a turning point in presidential security. Lyndon Johnson was the last US president to drive on public roads.
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Although not a legal requirement, this rule is strictly enforced by the Secret Service, and all presidents appear to comply.
Ronald Reagan, for instance, enjoyed driving his Jeep on his private ranch but was forbidden from taking the wheel on public highways.
Can presidents & former presidents never drive then?
If a president wants to take a drive, they must do so as a passenger, with a Secret Service agent trained in evasive manoeuvres behind the wheel.
However, this does not mean they are completely banned from driving.
They can still get behind the wheel on private property, a privilege Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush enjoyed after leaving office. Both drove on their respective ranches.
Some opt for golf carts, which are generally allowed.
In 2012, Barack Obama concerned his security team when he got into a Chevy Volt and drove it around the White House grounds. To prevent him from accidentally heading onto public roads, agents shut the gates.
“That was my big joy ride,” he said. “Three times around the South Lawn driveway. It was wild.”
Presidential historian and University of Texas professor H.W. Brands told The Seattle Times that Lyndon Johnson was likely the last US president to drive on public roads.
Johnson somehow bypassed the restriction. In 1964, he reportedly drove at speeds between 75 and 85 mph near his Texas home, as per American magazine Mental Floss. At one point, he even forced a pedestrian’s vehicle off the road. His disregard for Secret Service protection frustrated the media, especially in the wake of Kennedy’s assassination.
Notably, Johnson was not the only president with such a driving history. Dwight D. Eisenhower once faced criticism for speeding at 90 mph on his way to his Gettysburg farm. Herbert Hoover was annoyed by press reports about his speeding habits. In 1953, then-Vice President Richard Nixon famously got lost while driving to a golf game in New Jersey.
For some presidents, driving has even become a diplomatic matter. During a visit to Jordan, King Hussein invited Bill Clinton to test drive a Mercedes. Clinton, however, had a convenient excuse to decline - he did not know how to drive a manual transmission.
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Why Trump bought a Tesla
Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, holds billions of dollars in government contracts and has massive influence over Trump’s administration through the Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge. He also frequently travels with the president.
However, Tesla has recently been the target of protests and vandalism. Police are investigating gunfire at a dealership in Oregon, while fire officials are looking into a blaze that destroyed four Cybertrucks at a Tesla lot in Seattle.
In a show of support , Trump chose to shop for a new Tesla on the White House driveway, citing Musk’s role in advancing his political agenda and reducing the size of the federal government.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he would personally write a cheque for the vehicle, which costs around $80,000, and leave it at the White House for his staff to use.
The president also expressed hope that his purchase would help Tesla, which has been struggling with falling sales and declining stock prices.
This was the latest, and perhaps most unexpected, instance of Trump showing his loyalty to Musk, who played a major role in funding his re-election campaign and remains a key figure in his second administration.
With inputs from agencies