On Wednesday, reports from The New York Times and Drop Site News highlighted that the US Department of State included an order for $400 million worth of armored Teslas in its 2025 procurement forecast. However, shortly after these reports surfaced, the agency altered its mention of “Armored Tesla (Production Units)” to a more ambiguous term, “Armored Electric Vehicles,” as reported earlier by Bloomberg.
The original document was published in December, just before President Donald Trump took office, but after his election. Since then, Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has closed federal agencies, accessed sensitive payment systems, and offered “deferred resignation” agreements to numerous government employees, claiming it would reduce government waste.
Although the document did not specify which Tesla model the State Department intended to purchase, both NYT and Bloomberg suggest it likely referred to the Cybertruck, known for its stainless steel, “bullet-proof” body and windows made from Gorilla glass.
“I’m pretty sure Tesla isn’t getting $400M,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated in a reply on X, adding, “No one mentioned it to me, at least.” The procurement list also includes $40 million for armored BMW X5 and X7 vehicles, along with vague references to “armored sedan” and “armored EV (not sedan).”
