Elon Musk gave a nod to Donald Trump in front of his numerous fans and Tesla Inc. shareholders at the automaker’s annual meeting, mentioning that the former president often calls him and is a “huge fan” of the futuristic Cybertruck.
“I have had some conversations with him, and he does call me out of the blue for no reason,” Tesla’s CEO said during the meeting at the company’s Austin headquarters on Thursday. “I don’t know why, but he does.”
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has stated that he would dismantle President Joe Biden’s policies aimed at boosting electric vehicle sales. He has also claimed that EVs won’t work and will harm US auto workers.
Despite this, Trump and Musk have recently grown closer, with Musk advising the former president on cryptocurrency policy.
At a rally in Arizona, Trump recently praised Musk, saying he was a “big fan” of both EVs and Musk.
Musk noted that Trump is “very nice when he calls.” The Tesla CEO said he told Trump that EVs are beneficial for the future and that the US leads in battery-powered cars.
“A lot of his friends now have Teslas, and they all love it, and he’s a huge fan of the Cybertruck,” Musk said at the shareholder meeting. “So I think maybe those are contributing factors.”
During a lengthy Q&A session at Tesla’s meeting, Musk also responded to questions about his physical, mental, and emotional health. One man, calling Musk an “absolute idol,” asked if he was doing everything to “take care of yourself, safety and health, for the future of the company.”
Musk thanked him for the concern and remarked, “I probably need to work out and not get assassinated or something.”
