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Donald Trump bought a Tesla, or that is what lazy headline after lazy headline in the mainstream media told the American people. It was as if the mainstream press was too afraid to look below the hood or call out a con that has a long tradition in American history.
The term snake oil salesman goes back to the 19 Century and was used to describe a person who sales fraudulent or ineffective products. The snake oil salesman would often have a plant who would act as a willing customer, someone who was in on the con to help spur sales along.
Donald Trump was Elon Musk’s plant today as the snake oil Musk tried to peddle was the inflation of his company’s stock price.
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MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell wasn’t buying the con and said:
Donald Trump stood with Elon Musk in the White House driveway with some Teslas in front of them. And Donald Trump pretended to buy a Tesla. It has been reported by legitimate news organizations everywhere that Donald Trump bought a Tesla from Elon Musk today, as if that’s a fact, there is no evidence of that.
Whatsoever. No bill of sale. No check was passed. Nothing was signed. The two most awkward people in America stood there like statues trying to save Elon Musk’s wealth with the completely fake stunt of Donald Trump pretending to buy a car from the richest person in the world with no money or paperwork changing hands.