Trump praised Musk as a patriot. However, the reference to his businesses — which include Tesla, an electric vehicle manufacturer trying to expand sales and production in China — is an unusual acknowledgement of concerns about Musk balancing his corporate and government responsibilities.

The White House is going to bat for Tesla as Elon Musk’s electric vehicle (EV) company suffers from financial woes and faces increasingly violent backlash. President Trump and top administration officials have touted Teslas on the White House lawn and urged Americans to buy the company’s struggling stock.