Trump Just Debuted the Ultimate American-Made SUV in Davos

President Donald Trump arrived at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, sitting pretty in a heavily armored Cadillac Escalade.

It's the first official public use of the new Cadillac SUV in a presidential motorcade, which also included multiple Chevrolet Suburbans and at least one other Escalade. The Cadillacs are a new addition to the U.S. Secret Service’s protective fleet, and look to be reskins of the HD Suburbans, which are a known quantity.

Following Trump’s arrival in Davos, the Secret Service released an image of the new armored Escalade and confirmed it was officially joining the Presidential garage.

"We were excited to build upon our long-lasting relationship with General Motors as we introduced these vehicles to our protective fleet," Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement.

Photographs from Davos show the Escalades fitted with thick ballistic glass, reinforced doors, and a cluster of roof-mounted antennas tied into the Secret Service’s secure communications network. Those systems typically interface with the White House communications vehicle, often referred to as the Roadrunner, allowing continuous encrypted links during presidential movements.

Since the early 2000s, the Secret Service has used Suburbans alongside the purpose-built presidential limousine affectionately known as “The Beast.” The limo outwardly looks like a Cadillac sedan but actually rides on a truck-based platform—the most recent version of the Beast entered service in 2018, during Trump’s first term, and is due for replacement shortly.

Last year, Secret Service Director Sean Curran visited GM facilities in Michigan to talk about future armored SUVs— images from that visit showed an Escalade displayed alongside presidential seals, leading to speculation that DJT would be getting a new ride. Trump has a long-standing affinity for Cadillacs that traces back to his father. According to Reuters, it was actually Trump who pitched the idea of using Cadillac SUVs to GM CEO Mary Barra. 

“My father was a great guy, I learned so much from him, and he loved Cadillacs. His biggest luxury in life was to get a brand new, dark-blue Cadillac every two years,” Trump was quoted as saying in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. “My father liked Cadillacs, so that’s good enough for me.”

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