Does Donald Trump have a driver's license? President says he is banned from driving after buying a red Tesla to support Elon Musk

On March 11, 2025, President Donald Trump purchased a brand new red Tesla Model S car to support his advisor, Elon Musk. In recent months, the electric car company has experienced declining sales and falling stock prices. Musk's recent activities related to the government have also sparked nationwide protests and calls to boycott Tesla.

Although he now owns the red Tesla, Trump mentioned in a soundbite during the event that he was not permitted to drive it. He added that he would leave it on the White House grounds for his staff to use.

“I’m gonna buy one, now here’s the bad news. I’m not allowed to drive. I haven’t driven a car in a long time. And I love to drive cars. But I’m gonna have it at the White House and I’m gonna let my staff use it. I’m gonna let people at the place use it. They all are all excited about that. I’m not allowed to use it. Can you believe it?” Trump said.

This raised questions about why the president was not allowed to drive the car, with speculation suggesting that he never held a driver's license.

However, Donald Trump did possess a driver's license, as reported by Politico, which released a copy of the ID to the public in 2016. This occurred after Trump claimed the license incorrectly listed his height as 6 feet 2 inches when, in fact, he asserted he was 6 feet 3 inches.

According to the publication, the license was issued on May 3, 2012, and expired on June 14, 2020. It remains unclear whether the president renewed his license after its expiration.

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Why is Donald Trump not allowed to drive?

According to a rule enforced by the Secret Service, all current and former US presidents and vice presidents are prohibited from driving on open roads for security reasons. High-profile individuals like former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are still driven around by Secret Service personnel trained in “evasive and defensive driving maneuvers.”

However, all current and former US presidents and vice presidents are allowed to drive on private properties. According to NBC News, this rule was strictly observed after John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963.

The last president to drive on public roads was Lyndon Johnson, the 36th US president, who took office between 1963 and 1969 following JFK's assassination. Several presidents have expressed their opinions about this rule in the past. Former President Joe Biden jokingly complained about the rule during a 2014 United Auto Workers conference, saying:

“There are a lot of reasons to run for president, but there’s one overwhelming reason not to run for president. I like to get that [Corvette] Z06 from zero to 60 in 3.4 seconds.”

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In other news, President Donald Trump spoke up in favor of Elon Musk after purchasing the Tesla, writing him a check for approximately $80,000. He stated that Musk had been "treated very unfairly" by others, adding in a statement at the time:

"I think he's been treated very unfairly by a very small group of people, and I just want people to know that he can't be penalized for being a patriot, and he's a great patriot, and he's also done an incredible job with Tesla."

This came after several protests broke out outside many Tesla showrooms across the US in response to Elon Musk's recent government duties after Trump appointed him head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk's recent federal layoffs, part of the DOGE initiative, angered many citizens, resulting in a significant decrease in Tesla sales across the US of about 48% since January. However, according to AP News, the company's stocks rose by 4% after Trump announced his decision to purchase a Tesla car.