The White House cheered the Tesla flying car, joking that America got it before Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) arrived. Hours later, Elon Musk said the Roadster could reach roughly 400 mph.
The jab lands as Rockstar’s long-delayed game heads toward release. However, the car behind the joke is still at least two years away from customers.
Tesla Flying Car Turns Into a GTA Meme
The official account shared a stylized image of President Donald Trump walking past a hovering car, with Marine One overhead. The slogan “Make America Great Again” appears in the game’s signature lettering.
Trump also praised the Tesla demo. Asked by a Fox News reporter, he said he was “very happy for Elon” and called the car “very impressive.” However, he added that he did not know whether people would see him in the car.
The praise came one week after Trump handed Musk the National Medal of Science at the White House.
The administration has used pop-culture posts before, including Mario and Naruto memes that drew pushback from Japan.
Rockstar has kept its November GTA 6 launch despite years of delays. That made the Tesla flying car an easy punchline for the White House.
Can the Roadster Deliver 400 MPH Before 2028?
Tesla showed the redesigned Roadster at a SpaceX test site in Texas on October 15. Cold-gas thrusters launched the car off a ramp, and it flipped midair before landing.
Tesla also demonstrated a 0-to-60 mph sprint in under one second. At the event, Musk put the top speed of certain versions above 230 mph.
In reply to a post that cited the 230 mph figure, Musk floated a peak above half the speed of sound.
Still, buyers face a long wait. Production starts in 2028, and Tesla now lists three tiers. The base Performance version takes a $50,000 reservation, while the thruster-equipped Thrust model requires $250,000.
Only the invite-only Rocket version gets the full flight system.
Tesla first showed the Roadster prototype in 2017 and promised deliveries for 2020. By that measure, the Tesla flying car is already eight years late.
Musk also hinted at a possible Tesla SpaceX merger before the reveal. A combined company would put the Tesla flying car next to SpaceX rockets, while the White House has already made it part of its online messaging.
