The new Tesla Semi Class 8 truck already shows signs of becoming a top seller and another feather in the Tesla cap. That’s why it’s curious to see Tesla CEO Elon Musk officiate over the official opening of the Semi factory in Nevada last week not in person, but in a pre-recorded video. Why skip such a critical event in Tesla’s electrification mission? Perhaps prepping for last week’s White House dinner in honor of Chinese President Xi Jinping is the short answer…or not the only answer. Where In The World Is Elon Musk? The White House dinner was a lavish event, underscoring the contrast between President Trump’s gold-plated lifestyle and the impact of his policies on the general welfare. In the latest development, the Trump administration has thrown millions of children off the federal SNAP nutrition assistance program. Other elements of the US food supply are also reeling under Trump’s bull-in-a-china-shop governance, capably aided by Elon Musk himself as head of the President’s “DOGE” budget-cutting office last year, with potential impacts on entire food systems from honeybees on up. Of course, Elon Musk was not the only high-profile representative of corporate America at Trump’s table, and not the only automaker, either. The roster of attendees included General Motors President and CEO Mary Barra, too. However, as listed by the Detroit News, Mary Barra was invited in her capacity at General Motors, while Elon Musk was invited by virtue of one of his other ventures, Space X. Why not Tesla? Why, indeed. The sharp U-turn in federal energy policy is one reason to downplay the Tesla name around the White House dinner table. In addition, despite the persistent popularity of the Tesla brand here in the US and globally, last week was a particularly awkward time for Elon Musk and Tesla to be mentioned in the same breath, now that a long-simmering race discrimination case against Tesla’s Fremont, California factory has simmered to a boil once again. “A California agency’s lawsuit accusing Tesla of allowing rampant race discrimination at its flagship assembly plant is set to go to trial on Monday, one of a series of similar lawsuits being faced by the electric vehicle maker,” Reuters reported on September 21, referring to the California Civil Rights Department. “The company is also facing a lawsuit from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging racial harassment, and dozens of lawsuits by individual workers making similar claims,”Reuters further notes. Things Happen In Threes As the saying goes, bad things happen in three’s. Good things also happen in three’s. And sometimes three things just happen right around the same time. A second happenstance contributing to the mystery of Musk’s dialed-in appearance at the Semi factory is a fresh burst of publicity surrounding “Musk,” which is the title of a new documentary about Elon Musk from the award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney. Musk has threatened legal action against the film’s production company, Jigsaw Productions, which is an odd turn of affairs for a public figure who styles himself as a “free speech absolutist,” but such is the world in which we live today. Last week the media mill also ginned up when word dropped that major social media platforms refused to run ads for “Musk,” with the Daily Beast offering up a representative headling: “Damning Elon Musk Film Hit With Shocking Censorship” Yikes! “Elon Musk’s extraordinary power is making it remarkably difficult to advertise a documentary about just how powerful Elon Musk has become,” the Daily Beast ran on, listing the platforms at fault as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Meta (the umbrella firm of Facebook and Instagram), as well as Musk’s own platform X (formerly Twitter). Or not, as the case may be. The ads, which were commissioned by the film’s US distributor, Bleecker Street, will run on Meta and YouTube after all, TheWrap reported on September 26. “The decision comes after a story published by The Hollywood Reporter on Friday detailed that the two tech giants, along with TikTok and the Musk-owned X, were refusing to run ads for ‘Musk,'” TheWrap added. “This was an error and we’re restoring the ads,” a Meta spokesperson told TheWrap on Saturday. YouTube offered up a different explanation. As described by the online film industry hub imdb, on Saturday YouTube posted a message on its own social media account, stating that the “Musk” trailer “has always been available on YouTube.” “When submitted as an ad, it was temporarily restricted by our system,” YouTube added, somewhat contradicting the “always” part of the equation. Contradiction or not, the trailer is available here on YouTube for all to see, if not on Tik-Tok or X. Elon Musk Is Here, There, And Everywhere For the record, Musk’s no-show at the Semi factory is the second major Tesla event Musk skipped in recent weeks. On September 3 he also declined to make a personal appearance at the much-hyped launch of the Tesla Cybercab driverless robotaxi in Austin, Texas. However, at least Musk attended both events in spirit, and that brings up the third happenstance of the week. So far during the 2026 election cycle, Musk has refrained from making personal appearances in campaign events, which is understandable considering that his aggressive advocacy for the Republican candidate in last year’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election is credited with stirring up a voter backlash that resulted in a win for the Democratic candidate, Susan Crawford. However, Musk has clearly been present in spirit this year. Over the summer, Musk began hinting that he was prepared to spend millions in support of Republican candidates in the runup to Election Day 2026 through his personal political action committee, America PAC. He followed through with an initial wave of spending earlier this month, and last week the particulars began to emerge. “Musk’s America PAC has spent $16.6 million to boost Republicans in US Senate contests, including in high-profile races in Ohio, Michigan, Iowa and Maine. It’s also spread $3.1 million across more than 30 competitive House districts, joining GOP efforts to hold onto its majorities in both chambers of Congress,” reported the Detroit News on September 25. The Detroit News further notes that Musk has dropped $6.3 million in the Texas race for US Senate alone, in an effort to prop up the sinking campaign of Republican Ken Paxton. In an earlier report, the New York Times listed Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, and Ohio as initial targets for America PAC spending, with North Carolina, Georgia and Texas under consideration and House races in California, Wisconsin and Washington also in its sights. That’s a lot of ground to cover, but after all, money talks. If Elon Musk can’t campaign for his chosen candidates in person, he will certainly be there in spirit. To recap: the White House dinner, the Fremont factory lawsuit, and the America PAC may — or may not — explain why Musk phoned in an appearance at the Tesla Semi event. Readers, what do you think? Does it even matter? Drop a note in the discussion thread… PSA: If you have questions about voting or registering to vote, visit your local elections office. Information and links to local elections offices are also available at a reputable online hubs like Vote.gov, among others. Do not be fooled by “votesafe.org,” which has been described as a data collection portal funded by Elon Musk’s America PAC. Image: The Tesla Semi Class 8 truck is shaping up to be another success story, though Tesla CEO Elon Musk failed to appear in person at last week’s official launch of the Semi factory in Nevada (screenshot via Tesla livestream).