Musk's Tesla Cybertruck is a culture war on four wheels

Dubbed the Magamobile’ and Deplorean’, it may be the best thing ever to happen to electric vehicles, but not for the reason Elon Musk wants, writes Anthony Cuthbertson

- Anthony Cuthbertson

On Christmas Day last year, while other political leaders were posting messages of peace and prosperity, Donald Trump took to his own Truth Social app to go on a festive rant against all that he thought was wrong with the world. Among those on his list were the "evil and 'sick' THUGS" pushing for "electric car lunacy" in the US. "MAY THEY ROT IN HELL," he wrote.

"AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

Less than nine months later, and just two months away from the presidential elections, the Republican candidate is now publicly proclaiming his love for the technology. “I’m for electric cars,” he told supporters at a rally in Georgia last month. “I have to be because Elon [Musk] endorsed me very strongly.”

This sudden shift in sentiment was cemented when he was presented with a brand new Tesla Cybertruck, gifted to him by the controversial streamer Adin Ross. Emblazoned with his “Make America Great Again” slogan on the bonnet, the electric truck featured an image on the doors of Trump with his fist raised shortly after July’s assassination attempt. Trump appeared enthralled. “That is beautiful,” he said. “I think it’s incredible.”

While it wasn’t clear whether he was talking about the truck or the wrap, Trump’s pivot follows a broader trend of Republicans and those on the right shifting their allegiance to Elon Musk and his assorted companies. Having been a champion for environmentalists after supercharging the transition to electric vehicles, Musk has since staked his ideological flag in the Maga camp, pushing far-right conspiracies and radicalising himself on his own platform.