<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Revision:%20Musk/Armored Teslas%20-%2020260302211322" style="border:1px solid #555; padding:4px 12px; border-radius:4px; color:#a89ee8; text-decoration:none; font-size:0.9em; background-color:#2a2a2a;">📩 Submit a Revision/Addition</a> Recent reports have highlighted a controversial $400 million State Department plan to purchase armored electric vehicles from Tesla, a company led by Elon Musk, who also serves as a senior adviser to President Donald Trump. The State Department initially claimed this procurement plan was a holdover from the previous Biden administration. However, documents obtained by NPR indicate that the plan was actually initiated after President Trump's election, contradicting earlier assertions. The procurement forecast, revised in December 2024, listed Tesla as the recipient of the largest expected contract, with the State Department planning to buy $400 million worth of "Armored Tesla" vehicles. This revelation has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest, given Musk's dual role as a government adviser and CEO of Tesla. In response to the controversy, the State Department has since removed Tesla's name from the procurement list and stated that it has no current plans to fulfill the contract. But NPR has obtained a State Department document detailing that Biden's State Department planned to spend just $483,000 in the 2025 fiscal year on buying electric vehicles and $3 million for supporting equipment, like charging stations. It represented less than 1% of the hundreds of millions of dollars likely destined for Tesla vehicles after the Trump administration quietly revised a State Department procurement document This situation underscores the complexities and ethical questions arising from Musk's simultaneous involvement in government operations and his leadership of companies that stand to benefit from federal contracts.