Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer
At a recent White House event President Trump told reporters that he hopes that Tesla stock prices will rise. While Trump did not explicitly urge the public to purchase stocks in Tesla, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said, “It’s unbelievable that this guy’s stock is this cheap. It’ll never be this cheap again,” he continued this rhetoric Wednesday on Fox News saying that Tesla stock has fallen dramatically, because of Elon Musk’s connection with Trump and the current administration. This is possibly an ethics violation and has been described as an “egregious display.”
Lutnick was not the only cabinet member to encourage the public to support Tesla. President Trump hosted an unofficial commercial for Tesla on the South Lawn of the White House after the company’s stock value dropped suddenly and sharply. Recently, Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared on Fox Business and stated, “If you’re gonna touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do anything, you better watch out, because we’re coming after you.” The billionaire Musk, a mere volunteer worker, is not an elected official or a member of Trump’s cabinet.
