MSNBC’s Maddow Doubles Down on False Tesla Story—After Getting Debunked [WATCH]

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow is facing renewed scrutiny after spreading a false report about Tesla and the State Department, failing to fully correct her claims even after they were debunked.

Earlier this week, Maddow reported that Tesla CEO Elon Musk—whom she described as a “top campaign donor of U.S. President Donald Trump”—had supposedly “convinced the U.S. government that it should spend $400 million on armored Tesla production units.”

She further implied that this was an act of self-dealing orchestrated by Musk and the Trump administration, sarcastically stating it was “not at all $400 million worth of self-dealing by the president’s top campaign donor to whom he has handed the keys to the kingdom.”

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However, the claim was completely false.

BANG! Rachel Maddow just got CLOWNED on live television:

Maddow: “Musk has convinced the government to spend $400 million on armored Tesla’s. Definitely not corrupt and ripping us all off?”

Watters: “Donald Trump didn’t give that contract to Musk.. Biden did.” pic.twitter.com/v4OQJCRZds

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 14, 2025

A fact-check by PolitiFact confirmed that the alleged $400 million contract for armored Teslas was never real.

According to a statement from the State Department, Tesla was never set to receive the money, and the entire proposal was actually initiated under the Biden administration.

The statement clarified that the funding inquiry had come from an executive order signed by Joe Biden in 2021, which encouraged federal agencies to purchase electric vehicles when possible.

Additionally, the spreadsheet that listed “Tesla” was a clerical error—the solicitation had been open to any electric vehicle manufacturer.

Furthermore, the State Department stated that the bid solicitation was currently on hold with “no current plans to issue it.”

Despite the clear debunking of her claims, Maddow did not issue an apology or a direct correction.

While she acknowledged the next day that the budget item had come from the Biden administration, she did not admit that she had originally framed the story as a Trump-era deal.

Instead, she continued to mock Musk, doubling down on her original framing.

“$400 million worth of armored Teslas! Tell me more, Edge Lord of government efficiency!” Maddow said, laughing during her segment.

Two nights ago Rachel Maddow falsely reported that Trump had given Elon Musk a $400 million contract for armored Teslas.

Did she apologize or retract? Of course not. Last night when her face was off screen she slipped in the fact that the contract was from last year during the… pic.twitter.com/hNJY74lbxb

— MAZE (@mazemoore) February 15, 2025

Even after acknowledging that no contract existed, she still insisted that the proposed funding would have been a “huge deal for Tesla,” suggesting the company had expected to receive the money.

This assertion ignored the fact that the bid had been open to any electric vehicle manufacturer and that Tesla had not been guaranteed anything.

Maddow’s refusal to fully retract or acknowledge the errors in her reporting has raised questions about her journalistic credibility.

Even after the facts disproved her claim, she continued to push a misleading narrative rather than admit she had been wrong.

Her handling of the story has only fueled further criticism of her reporting, with many noting the lack of accountability when it comes to correcting inaccurate information.

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