Cybertruck Crash: Tesla Sales Collapse Amid Mounting Scrutiny, Media Targets President Trump Instead
Tesla’s long-hyped Cybertruck is veering off course — and fast. New Q2 data from Cox Automotive reveals a staggering 51% plunge in Cybertruck sales compared to the same period last year. Just 4,300 units were sold in Q2, casting major doubt on Elon Musk’s once-grand vision for Tesla’s electric pickup.
This nosedive comes despite Tesla’s claims that over 2 million customers had placed deposits — supposedly enough to keep production running for 16 years. Back in December 2023, Tesla’s chief designer Franz von Holzhausen boasted of huge demand, and Tesla planned to build 125,000 units annually, aiming to double that by mid-2025, as Fortune reported.
Fast-forward to today, and the reality is sobering: just 10,700 Cybertrucks sold in the first half of 2025. At this rate, Tesla may struggle to match its underwhelming 2024 total of 39,000. And don’t expect transparency — Tesla has gone silent, offering no comment and hiding behind aggregated delivery numbers.
Meanwhile, the competition isn’t waiting around. Ford’s F-150 Lightning and GM’s Hummer EV both outpaced the Cybertruck in Q2, tightening the noose around Tesla’s already-struggling EV division.
Cox Automotive didn’t mince words: “The hyper-competitive EV market is providing the troubled automaker no relief.”
The most popular Cybertruck configuration — the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive model — now starts at $80,000, a sharp deviation from the $50,000 price Musk promised in 2019. And what did those two extra years of development yield? A PR disaster.
Tesla’s experimental engineering choices are backfiring. The Cybertruck has already racked up eight recalls in its first model year and is under two federal investigations for safety flaws. Viral videos show panels falling off due to shoddy glue work. Tesla even ditched a traditional steel frame in favor of aluminum castings — a design critics say is prone to fractures when towing.
A $7,500 federal EV tax credit expiring in September could temporarily boost sales, but analysts like Cox’s Stephanie Valdez Streaty aren’t buying into the hype.
“The second half of the year will be a critical test of EV demand,” she warned. “Q3 will likely be a record, followed by a collapse in Q4.”
While Tesla and Musk face escalating scrutiny, the media circus has shifted focus to a disgraceful smear attempt against President Donald J. Trump.
A recently surfaced “birthday letter” — allegedly sent by Trump to Jeffrey Epstein decades ago — was weaponized by The Wall Street Journal in a baseless hit piece. The letter, which supposedly includes a crude drawing and a message signed “Donald,” has been denounced as fraudulent by both President Trump and Elon Musk.
“It really doesn’t sound like something Trump would say tbh,” Musk posted on X.
President Trump responded on Truth Social, warning The Wall Street Journal, NewsCorp, and Rupert Murdoch directly:
“The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly by President Donald J. Trump that the supposed letter they printed by President Trump to Epstein was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued.”
After the paper ignored the warning, Trump responded with force:
“The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein. These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures… I’m going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper.”
President Trump also reminded followers that he’s no stranger to courtroom victories:
“President Trump has already beaten George Stephanopoulos/ABC, 60 Minutes/CBS, and others, and looks forward to suing and holding accountable the once great Wall Street Journal.”
While Tesla stalls and legacy media plays dirty politics, one thing is clear: the American people are watching — and they're not buying the lies.