President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he will be purchasing a Tesla partly because Elon Musk “has been treated unfairly” while firing government employees and cutting waste under the Department of Government Efficiency.

During a press event with Musk at the White House, the president got behind the wheel of a Tesla Model S and expressed his awe at the vehicle’s dashboard.

“Wow! That’s beautiful. This is a different panel than I’ve had, everything’s computer,” Trump said. “This is really amazing.”

Asked why he’s becoming a future Tesla owner, Trump said: “No. 1, it’s a great product — as good as it gets — and No. 2, because [Musk] has devoted his energy and his life to doing this and I think he has been treated very unfairly.”

Musk has been tasked by Trump with eliminating wasteful government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency [DOGE].

DOGE and Musk has been unpopular with the American people.

A CBS News/YouGov poll released last week showed 52% of respondents believe Musk and DOGE have too much authority to cut government while 52% also said they were concerned DOGE has too much access to sensitive government data.

An Emerson College poll released last month show ed just 41% of U.S. voters approve of Musk’s job compared to 45 percent who disapprove, according to an Another 14% were neutral.

Trump vouched for Tesla vehicles during the event, saying he purchased a Cybertruck for his granddaughter, Kai, about a year ago.

“She’s a great golfer and she puts the clubs in the back and I guess it’s a very safe deal,” Trump said. “She loves it, and it’s very safe, it’s very strong, heavy. It’s all steel, stainless steel,” Trump said.

Reading off notes, the president touted the $35,000 starting price on a Tesla.

Trump was asked if he would opt for a vanity plate on his new Tesla.

“Truth,” the president said. “T-R-U-T-H.”

Musk donated $288 million to help elect Trump in 2024, prompting Democrats to call Tuesday’s event an act of blatant corruption.

“Just because the corruption plays out in public doesn’t mean it’s not corruption,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who has been one of the Senate’s most outspoken Trump critics.

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., echoed that sentiment.

“Elon Musk spent $300M to get Trump elected, so today Trump repaid him by turning the White House into a Tesla showroom,” Goldman tweeted. “While Musk cuts services you rely on, Trump’s using taxpayer dollars to film a commercial for him. This admin is a massive corruption scheme.”