Trump praises Elon Musk for agreeing to build Tesla plant in Texas
Trump praised Musk's plan to build a factory in Texas
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is one example of an American entrepreneur who is “getting it done” – in part by planning a new car plant in Texas, President Trump said Thursday.
Manufacturing and jobs will be a priority as the president pushes for a second term, Trump said during a phone interview on Fox News’ “Hannity.”
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“I was with Elon Musk. I said, ‘Elon build a factory in Texas,’” the president told host Sean Hannity. “He just announced today they’re building one of the biggest plants in the world -- auto plants for Tesla. And it is going to be in Texas. And you know, it’s great. He called me up just a little while ago to say, ‘I got it done.’"
Trump tweeted about the accomplishment on Friday, saying Musk "kept his word" and the Texas factory will be "the largest auto plant anywhere in the world."
Musk responded, thanking the president on behalf of Tesla.
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The president also told Hannity that he was "pushing" Musk to get the job done.
“He got it done, but I was pushing that job very hard for Elon because we work with him and we do a lot for him. And I said, ‘It’s time,’ and he was great, he’s doing a good job," he said.
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Earlier this year, Musk had threatened to pull most Tesla operations out of Northern California, citing the state’s coronavirus-related restrictions on its operations. Musk discussed Texas, Nevada and other states as possible new sites for Tesla jobs.
Last week, officials in Travis County, Texas, which includes the state capital Austin, approved a plan to provide millions in tax subsidies to Tesla if it builds a $1.1 billion vehicle factory in the area, according to Reuters.
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Texas had been competing with Oklahoma to attract a new factory to build Tesla's Y sport utility vehicles and cybertrucks.
This story has been updated to include tweets from President Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk