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Elon Musk has said that former President Donald Trump sometimes calls him out of the blue.
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The Tesla CEO made these remarks during Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.
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The apparent phone calls between Musk and Trump are consistent with the growing camaraderie between the two men.
Elon Musk could influence Donald Trump’s stance on electric vehicles through random phone calls between the Tesla CEO and the former president.
Musk hinted at this during Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday after investors voted to reinstate his multi-billion dollar compensation package.
During a question-and-answer portion of the meeting, Musk was asked about the likely Republican nominee for 2024.
“Donald Trump has been a big critic of electric vehicles, but last week he surprised us by saying he’s a big fan of Tesla and a big fan of you,” the man said to applause. “What did you tell him?”
Trump has long railed against electric cars, portraying them as inefficient and harmful to American auto workers. Trump previously vowed to reverse President Joe Biden’s electric car policy and warned of an economic “bloodbath” if the likely inevitable transition to electric cars continues.
But in a confusing turn of events, Trump appeared to change his tone at a rally in Arizona earlier this month, telling the crowd he was a “big fan of electric cars.”
“I’m a fan of Elon,” Trump said, according to a Tesla media outlet. “I like Elon, I like him, and I think a lot of people want to buy an electric car.”
Trump’s apparent reversal may be due to his growing camaraderie with Musk – a relationship the billionaire tech chief seemed to confirm on Thursday.
“I can be persuasive,” Musk replied. “I’ve had a few conversations with him, and he calls me out of the blue for no reason. I don’t know why, but he does.”
Musk said the former president was “very nice” when he called. The Tesla boss added that he tried to sell Trump on the climate benefits of electric vehicles as well as the patriotic benefits.
“America is a leader in electric cars,” Musk said Thursday.
Trump’s change of opinion on Tesla may also have something to do with the influence of his friends, Musk added.
“I think a lot of his friends have Teslas now,” Musk said. “They all love it. And he’s a big fan of the Cybertruck.”
Both men have publicly sided with each other in recent weeks: Musk defended Trump hours after he was found guilty on 34 charges, calling the matter “trivial.” Trump, meanwhile, was considering offering Musk an advisory role in his administration if he wins in November, the Wall Street Journal reported last month. The paper also reported that Musk and Trump had breakfast in March with their sons, X and Barron Trump, and billionaire Nelson Peltz, and criticized Biden.
A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
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