FACT CHECK: Did The State Department Say They Would Buy $400 Million Worth Of Tesla Trucks?

A post shared on X claims the State Department would buy $400 million worth of Tesla trucks.

The United States State Department is now planning to spend $400 million in taxpayer money to buy Tesla Cybertrucks. pic.twitter.com/spN9w78GNd

— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) February 13, 2025

Verdict: Misleading

The State Department, under the Biden administration, said it sought to buy $400 billion in Tesla trucks in a December 2024 procurement list. It has since stated it would not pursue the order.

Fact Check:

Social media users are claiming that the State Department is planning to buy $400 million Tesla trucks. One user wrote, “The United States State Department is now planning to spend $400 million in taxpayer money to buy Tesla Cybertrucks.”

This claim is misleading. It is true that the State Department said in a December 2024 procurement list that it would try to acquire $400 million in Tesla trucks, according to The New York Times. It was later updated on Feb. 12 to remove the Tesla trucks, and instead, the order is “on ice,” per PolitiFact.

Tesla owner Elon Musk said on X that he was unaware of any such order.

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

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 13, 2025

“I’m pretty sure Tesla isn’t getting $400M. No one mentioned it to me, at least,” Musk tweeted. The State Department later said PolitiFact that there were “no current plans to issue it.”