UPDATE: Trump State Dept cancels $400 million Telsa armored Cybertruck deal made by Biden admin
“It armors very well.”
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“It armors very well.”
The Trump State Department has canceled a deal made by the Biden administration to purchase $400 million in armored Tesla Cybertucks. Procurement plans for 2025 also include a purchase from BMW. The Biden administration had implemented an electric vehicle mandate and had plans to replace much of the federal fleet with electric vehicles. On his first day in office, Trump reversed the initiative.
"The solicitation is on hold, and there are no current plans to issue it," the State Department said once the procurement plans came to light. The Trump administration has been diligent in rooting out excess spending and government waste and is working through all federal agencies.
The Cybertruck, which has a stainless-steel body, would be the vehicle most able to be upgraded with body armor, which is likely why the make was chosen by the Biden administration, per the New York Times. The Times, which revealed the plans for the big buy, also noted that the State Department's procurement list had not been updated since Trump took office and was likely a holdover from the previous administration.
Elon Musk, the head of Tesla, has been advising President Donald Trump on matters relating to cutting costs at the federal level with DOGE. His team has been digging through USAID and other agencies, but has not yet tackled State, the IRS, or the Pentagon, the latter two's expeditures of which Trump has authorized the team to review.
The New York Times indicated that the deal was evidence that Musk has used his position with DOGE to gain more government contracts, despite knowing that the plans were made under Biden and that the procurement list from State had not yet been revised under the new term. Tesla is a government contractor, as are Musk's other companies SpaceX and Starlink.
If a federal government purchase of Cybertrucks were to go through, some of those funds would go to the company that specializes in customizing vehicles with armored upgrades, Armormax in Ogden, Utah.
When speaking to reporters, Amorex representative Justin Johnson said that Armormax is able to install bulletproof glass in a Cybertruck to make the cabin something of a “cocoon” to protect vehicle passengers. “It armors very well,” he said about the Cybertruck model.
The procurement document from the State Department is online, but does not appear to have a contractor attached and contractors are invited to submit proposals. Musk said he hadn't been aware of the deal.
This article has been revised to reflect the State Department's putting a stop to the deal.
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