Adin Ross Gives Trump a Cybertruck, a Rolex and Access to a Heavily Male Audience

3 months ago
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What do you give a former president who has everything?

Adin Ross, an internet celebrity known for stirring controversy, answered that question with a gold Rolex watch and a customized Tesla Cybertruck, both of which he presented to Donald J. Trump during an interview that was livestreamed on Monday afternoon.

“I think it’s incredible,” said Mr. Trump as he eyeballed the electric vehicle, which was parked in the porte-cochère of Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida.

The car — closely associated with the Trump-supporting chief executive of Tesla, Elon Musk, and subject of an ongoing culture war — has been in short supply since Tesla began selling it in late 2023. This one, which Mr. Ross drove to the interview, was festooned in red, white and blue with Mr. Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” emblazoned on the hood.

On each side was the now-ubiquitous photo of the Republican presidential nominee, fist raised defiantly, taken seconds after the attempt on his life at a campaign rally last month.Before a streaming audience that at times topped 500,000 people, Mr. Trump then climbed into the Cybertruck and, along with Mr. Ross, listened to songs from a custom playlist prepared for the occasion. “Who doesn’t like the Beach Boys?” Mr. Trump asked. He was equally admiring of the watch. “Wow, that’s so nice,” he chirped, fondling the green leather box containing the timepiece.

Per Tesla’s website, a base model Cybertruck has a sticker price of $60,990, with high-end trims topping $100,000. A customized wrap — the printed vinyl sticker covering every exterior surface of the vehicle — starts around $4,000. Rolex watches typically start at $5,000.

All of those price tags far exceed the federal limit on individual campaign contributions, which is $3,300 per election cycle, in cash or in-kind — making Mr. Ross’ show of generosity a potential campaign finance violation.

“I would expect that once Trump gets off the livestream and talks to his lawyers, he’ll be advised that he can’t accept these gifts and will have to turn them down or give them to charity,” said Brendan Fischer, a campaign finance expert who is deputy executive director at Documented, a watchdog group.

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