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Elon Musk says former President Donald Trump sometimes calls him out of the blue.
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Tesla’s CEO made the comments Thursday during Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting.
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The apparent phone calls between Musk and Trump reflect a growing friendship between the two men.
Elon Musk may be influencing Donald Trump’s stance on electric vehicles during random phone conversations between the Tesla CEO and the former president.
Musk suggested as much at Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday, after investors voted to reinstate his billion-dollar pay package.
During a question-and-answer portion of the meeting, Musk was asked about the Republican presumptive 2024 nominee.
“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, drawing applause. “What did you tell him?”
Trump has long spoken out against electric vehicles, portraying them as inefficient and harmful to American auto workers. Trump previously vowed to reverse President Joe Biden’s EV policy and warned of an economic “bloodbath” if the likely inevitable transition to electric vehicles continues.
But in a confusing turn of events, Trump appeared to change his tune at a rally in Arizona earlier this month, telling the crowd he is a “big fan of electric cars.”
“I’m a fan of Elon,” Trump said, according to a Tesla trade media outlet. “I like Elon, I like him, and I think a lot of people want to buy an electric car.”
Trump’s apparent about-face could be due to his growing camaraderie with Musk — a relationship the billionaire tech leader appeared to confirm Thursday.
“I can be persuasive,” Musk said in response. “I’ve had a few conversations with him, and he just calls me out of the blue. I don’t know why, but he does.”
Musk said the former president is “very nice” when he calls. The Tesla CEO added that he has tried to sell Trump on the climate benefits of electric vehicles, as well as the patriotic benefits.
“America is the leader in electric cars,” Musk said Thursday.
Trump’s changing tone on Tesla may also have something to do with the influence of his friends, Musk said.
“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 aligned themselves in recent weeks, with Musk defending Trump hours after he was convicted of 34 crimes, calling the case “trivial.” Trump, meanwhile, has discussed offering Musk an advisory role in his administration if he were to win in November, The Wall Street Journal reported last month. The outlet also reported that Musk and Trump had breakfast together in March with their sons, X and Barron Trump, and billionaire Nelson Peltz, during which they criticized Biden.
A Trump representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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