The U.S. State Department says there is not a plan to purchase electric armored vehicles from Tesla, the company owned by Elon Musk who plays a major role in the Trump Administration.
Scripps News obtained a State Department document through the internet archive Wayback Machine that showed the agency was seeking to spend $400 million in 2025 for armored electric vehicles, specifically mentioning Tesla. The line item for the $400 million was added to the document on Dec. 13 during the Biden Administration.
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After the record became public Wednesday, the department removed any reference to Tesla. A State Department spokesman said the record never should have specified Tesla in its original procurement plans, part of the agency's annual wishlist of purchases for the upcoming fiscal year.
The State Department official told Scripps News that the project was part of a request for information to see which vehicle manufacturers would be interested in building armored electric vehicles. The department only heard back form one company: Tesla.
Nonetheless, the entire project is now on hold. The State Department said it currently has no plan to buy any armored vehicles from Tesla or any other company.
