Elon Musk Denies that Tesla is Getting $400 Million to Supply Armored Vehicles to the Government; Musk adds, “I’m Pretty Sure Tesla isn’t Getting $400M. No One Mentioned it To Me, At Least.”

Elon Musk has denied widespread reports that Tesla will be awarded a $400 million contract to supply the US government with armored vehicles.

Given Elon Musk’s role at the Department of Government Efficiency, there were immediate accusations of corruption and self-serving on Musk’s part.

However, Elon Musk has come out and, although not categorically, has denied parts of the report.

Musk made this announcement in response to Tesla personality Sawyer Merritt, who broke the original news.

Sawyer reported the $400 million contract by directly pointing to a line item in the US State Department’s procurement list that read “Tesla armored vehicle.”

However, after the news started to circulate late at night, the State Department website was updated, and Tesla’s name was removed from the procurement list.

Sawyer reported on this update writing…

“UPDATE: The U.S. Government has edited the public procurement forecast document tonight, and it now no longer says the word Tesla. Instead, it now says "Armored Electric Vehicles."

The contract amount is still listed as being for $400 million. Other details are the same.”

Below his post, Sawyer included a screenshot from the U.S Department of State procurement forecast list showing the Tesla line item has now indeed been changed to simply say “armored electric vehicles.”

This created some confusion about what was going on, but Musk responded to Sawyer’s post and confirmed that Tesla had not received the $400 million contract.

In response to Sawyer, Musk writes…

“I’m pretty sure Tesla isn’t getting $400M. No one mentioned it to me, at least.”

This is a surprising turn of events. Tesla fans had already celebrated the $400 million contract, while Tesla detractors criticized it.

I’m pretty sure Tesla isn’t getting $400M. No one mentioned it to me, at least.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 13, 2025

Tesla fans were happy imagining an armored Cybertruck getting added to the presidential motorcade.

Tesla investors were also happy about the extra $400 million the EV maker is expected to receive from the federal government.

On the other hand, parts of the public were outraged and crying foul because of the appearance of impropriety.

A lot of people weren’t happy that Musk was cutting billions of dollars of what he deems waste while at the same time giving his company hundreds of millions worth of unexpected contracts.

Musk has now poured cold water on both the celebration and outrage; however, something interesting here is how Musk worded the denial.

Musk said, “I’m pretty sure Tesla isn’t getting $400M. No one mentioned it to me, at least.”

“Pretty sure” and “No one has mentioned it to me” are not the most committed of answers on Musk’s part.

What’s even more interesting here is that the State Department contract for armored Tesla vehicles was drawn up by the Biden administration.

The procurement list was updated in December, but the idea of armored electric vehicles originated with the last government.

Based on this information, Tesla investor S.E. Robinson, Jr. writes…

“Maybe Biden had a sweet spot for you after all.”

In response, Musk simply says “unlikely” and adds a laughing emoji.

Unlikely 😂
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 13, 2025

With the “unlikely” comment, what’s interesting is that Musk still cannot determine whether Tesla has received a $400 million government contract.

As the CEO of the company, one would assume this would be easy to ascertain; however, this shows how less involved Musk has become in Tesla’s day-to-day activities.

Overall, Musk appears to think Tesla is not getting the $400 million. However, please let me know what you think in the comments. Share your ideas by clicking the “Add new comment” button below. Also, visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.

Image: Courtesy of UNPLUGGED PERFORMANCE

For more information, check out: A Tesla Cybertruck Owner From Los Angeles Says Every Time He Sees Another Cybertruck, He’ll Leave a $1 Note on the Truck, Adds, “I Got Punched for Driving a Cybertruck & I’m Trying to Spread the Love”

Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.