Trump jumps into Tesla fray

President Trump on Tuesday backed Elon Musk in his spat with California over reopening Tesla’s factory there, tweeting on Tuesday that the electric-auto maker should be allowed to return to production despite continued COVID-19 restrictions imposed by local officials.

“California should let Tesla & @elonmusk open the plant, NOW,” the commander-inchief tweeted early Tuesday. “It can be done Fast & Safely!”

The tweet prompted a “Thank you!” from Musk, who has also gotten a voice of support from Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. On Monday, Musk announced that Tesla was restarting production against the county’s rules, saying he would be on the production line with his workers.

Musk said Tuesday morning that the first day of production went “great.”

It’s the latest in a weeks-long battle with officials in Alameda

County — where the company’s only US factory is situated — over a stay-at-home order that barred its vehicle assembly lines from operating on March 23. Violations of the county rules can result in fines of up to $1,000 a day and up to 90 days in jail.

Tesla over the weekend sued the county in a federal complaint seeking a court order to stop it from enforcing the lockdown against the carmaker.

It also laid out a plan for reopening factories, publishing a 38-page “Return to Work Playbook” on Saturday that called for a wide range of precautions to keep plants clean and prevent the coronavirus from spreading among workers.

“We will continue to put people back to work in a safe and responsible manner,” Tesla wrote in a Saturday blog post. “However, the county’s position left us no choice but to take legal action to ensure that Tesla and its employees can get back to work.”