Investor's Corner
Tesla to benefit from Trump presidency, claims Wedbush analyst
Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives recently shared a rather interesting prediction for Tesla. As per the analyst, a potential Trump presidency would actually be bullish for Tesla, even if it would be negative for everyone else in the electric vehicle sector.
Ives’ comments were shared during a segment in CNBC’s Last Call. Amidst his current campaign, former President Donald Trump has so far been against electric vehicles for the most part. Despite this, he has also stated that he is “a fan of Elon.” “I like Elon, I like him, and I think a lot of people are going to want to buy an electric car,” Trump said at a rally earlier this month.
Elon Musk confirmed this as much, even stating that the former president was “very nice” and he does call him “out of the blue for no reason.” Musk inferred that Trump’s positive stance on Tesla may be partly due to the fact that some of the former president’s friends probably now have Teslas. He also noted that Trump is “a huge fan of the Cybertruck.”
Donald Trump last night on EVs and Elon Musk: “I’m a big fan of electric cars. I’m a big fan of Elon Musk. I like Elon. And I think a lot of people are going to want to buy electric cars, but if you want to buy a different type of car you have to have a choice.” pic.twitter.com/WDXoXhAEON— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) June 7, 2024
Considering Trump’s typical anti-EV rhetoric, it was no surprise that the Wedbush analyst was asked if the former president’s potential efforts to roll back electric vehicle incentives could benefit Tesla. Ives noted that a Trump presidency would indeed be positive for Tesla.
We believe a Trump win would be a negative for the EV industry but could be a silver lining positive for @elonmusk and @Tesla for a number of reasons discussed on @LastCallCNBC ?????? https://t.co/YI6rKWVLw3— Dan Ives (@DivesTech) June 29, 2024
“I’d say Trump’s pro-Musk, and I’d say it’s bullish. A Trump presidency would, at the end of the day, be bullish for Tesla, negative for EVs… I think it also speaks to the Biden administration, Musk has really been an afterthought… I think if Trump’s in the White House, Musk gets more front and center. That’s bullish for Tesla, especially if you start to see those EV rebates roll back — negative on the industry, bullish for Tesla,” Ives said.
I’m pretty sure @elonmusk already makes them in America— greg (@greg16676935420) June 18, 2024
The Wedbush analyst has a great point. The Biden administration has made it a point to ignore Tesla and focus on union-made EVs instead, so it would not be surprising if a potential Trump administration made it a point to openly support Musk and Tesla. Tesla is also among the carmakers in the United States today that can compete without the federal tax credit, as the company has already achieved economies of scale.
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Investor's Corner
Lucid CEO dispels any rumors of bankruptcy: ‘So far from the facts’
Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli responded to rumors of an imminent bankruptcy that was reportedly being mulled after a report stated the automaker was working with the firm AlixPartners to iron out its next steps.
The company felt a massive loss on Wall Street yesterday, as the report essentially pushed the stock down as much as 55 percent on Tuesday.
The report, published initially by Eletric-Vehicles.com, claimed Lucid was essentially in dire straits and was told by AlixPartners, a commonly used restructuring advisor, to either take shares private or file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Lucid’s head of Communications, Nick Twork, immediately challenged the report and stated the company “has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year.”
Now, the company’s CEO is chiming in as well, stating that the report is “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”
Napoli said:
“Lucid is not considering bankruptcy or a transaction to take the company private. Those reports are false. The Board did not explore either scenario. Period.
As disclosed in our most recent quarterly filing, Lucid has sufficient liquidity to fund its operations well into next year.
We work with outside advisors to improve operational performance and execution. They are not advising Lucid on a take-private transaction or bankruptcy, and any suggestion that they have recommended either course of action to management or the Board is false.
My priority is clear: turn this company around. That is where the leadership team and I are focused.
I look forward to providing a full update during our quarterly earnings call on August 4th.”
🚨 Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli calls rumors of financial issues “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”
Read his full remarks here: https://t.co/t3Pg1NHvzy pic.twitter.com/LvHUPhO4Qf
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 15, 2026
It seems pretty clear that Lucid is confident things will be okay, and, to be honest, they should not have much to worry about, especially considering the company has been backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) for years. It has solid financial backing, and its sales, while weak, are pretty much right on par with a company of this age.
Lucid also sent a Cease & Desist letter to the publication for their report.
Lucid shares have rebounded nicely and are up nearly 21 percent at the time of publication. As soon as the company dispelled the rumors of bankruptcy yesterday, the stock began to climb back toward more reasonable levels.
Investor's Corner
Lucid denies rumors of bankruptcy after over 40% stock drop
Electric vehicle maker Lucid Group has denied rumors of an imminent bankruptcy after a report from this morning sent the stock on a dramatic drop on Wall Street, seeing losses of more than 40 percent during trading hours.
Lucid’s Director of Communications, Nick Twork, responded to the report from Eletric-Vehicles.com, which stated the company’s restructuring advisor, AlixPartners, was asked to review two decisions: taking Lucid shares private or filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The report also claims AlixPartners told the Lucid board to “concentrate on Gravity production while improving its quality, and to temporarily hold back the Lucid Air, the sedan that has defined the company since its launch.”
Twork said:
$LCID The rumors are completely false. The company has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year, as recently published in its last quarterly filings, and it has not formed any special Board committee to explore the scenarios reported today. Our focus is…
— Nick Twork (@ntwork) July 14, 2026
Shares rebounded after the response to the report, halving its losses as the trading day neared 3 p.m. Eastern.
Lucid has struggled to get its sales off the ground and into more respectable numbers, but the company is in its early years, when things are hard to begin with. It is also backed by several notable investors, including the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has nearly limitless money and likely would not ditch an investment of this size so soon.
Lucid shares were down just 14 percent at the time of publication, a far cry from the 55 percent its losses topped out at during the day.
Investor's Corner
Tesla gets price target upgrade on heels of crazy successful auto quarter
Tesla received a price target upgrade just on the heels of what was a crazy successful quarter for its automotive business, as the company reported a delivery beat of over 15 percent for Q2.
Jefferies analysts are upping Tesla’s price target (NASDAQ: TSLA) to $400 from $375, while maintaining their “Hold” rating on shares, and the strong automotive deliveries from Q2 is a big reason. However, there are some other catalysts that Jefferies believes position Tesla for a strong position in the second half of the year.
Strong Deliveries
Tesla reported 480,000 deliveries for Q2, while Wall Street was between 395,000 and 405,000, as an overall consensus. It was an incredibly strong quarter from a delivery perspective, and Tesla sold well more than it produced during the three months.
Tesla crushes Wall Street expectations, beats delivery estimates by over 15 percent
While vehicle deliveries are not necessarily looked at in the light that they used to be, Tesla still maintains a lot of advantages for keeping deliveries strong. With the loss of the $7,500 EV Tax Credit last year, Tesla still maintains a strong demand case for its EVs.
Robotaxi Performance
Tesla has been operating Robotaxi for over a year now, as it launched in Austin in mid-2025. That program has expanded to Houston and Dallas, the San Francisco Bay Area, and, most recently, Miami, Florida, the suite’s first appearance in the Sunshine State.
While the Robotaxi suite is still in its early phases and Tesla is working through things like fleet size and wait times, the company has been able to undercut the pricing of its competitors and has a great safety record.
Merger Speculation with Tesla and SpaceX
This is perhaps the biggest topic that many are speaking about with Tesla and SpaceX, and it is the one thing that seems to be on the mind of every investor.
Jefferies warns that growing talk of a Tesla-SpaceX merger could cause Tesla stock to trade more like a SpaceX proxy, which may disconnect it from underlying automotive fundamentals. SpaceX has a lot going for it, especially its compute deals that have been widely publicized as of late.
Profitability in New Projects Could Take Some Time
Tesla has a few long-term ventures in the pipeline, most notably the Optimus project and Robotaxi, which is launched but will take several years to expand to a meaningful level that resonates with everyday people.
This is something that investors need to be careful of. Tesla’s projects could take some time to round out, so Jefferies advises that these may carry initial losses, rather than immediate profit. Seasoned Tesla investors have echoed something like this for a long time; they knew going in it would not be an open-and-shut strategy. It was going to take time.
These new projects are no different.