Mashable notes that as of Tuesday morning Trump has offered up no evidence that he followed through with his pledge to buy a Tesla vehicle. As for Musk, he's spent the day personally thanking his fans, such as conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, for voicing their support for Tesla on his social media platform X.

President Donald Trump, the same man who once said that people promoting electric vehicles should “ROT IN HELL,” bought his own EV this week. He showed off his new Tesla Model S — red, like the Make America Great Again hats — outside the White House on Tuesday,

This suggests that a reaction from consumers who dislike Mr Musk’s antics are only one reason for falling sales. An updated Model Y, Tesla’s best-selling vehicle, has just gone on sale. In preparation Tesla ran down inventory of the old model, crimping supply. Customers doubtless held off purchases until the new car was available.