Protesters gathered outside Tesla dealers across the United States on Saturday in response to Elon Musk’s efforts to sculpt government spending under President Donald Trump.
Groups of up to 100 demonstrators gathered outside the electric car manufacturer’s showrooms, including New York, Seattle, Kansas City and across California. Organizers said the protests took place in dozens of locations.
While the protests were scattered, they highlighted the risks to the car companies that have a close ties with Musk’s underlying right-wing agenda. Many protesters likened the Trump administration to the Nazis to carry placards. This is a characteristic that masks have previously highlighted.
Musk leads Doge, whose name comes from the US president’s “government efficiency,” or the Internet dog meme. Doge’s actions have rapidly dismantled government agencies, fired large federal workers across the United States, and have been criticized by some constitutional experts as illegal.
Some Tesla investors have asked whether Musk and the Trump administration’s relationship, including spending more than $200 million on a presidential campaign, will dent sales, particularly in liberal regions of the United States. Locations, including California, tended to be the largest market for U.S. electric vehicles, while Republicans and the Trump administration were actively opposed to technology.
Protest outside Tesla dealer in New York
Saturday. Photo: Justin Lane/EPA
American musician Sheryl Crow posted a video of himself on Saturday, bidding farewell to Tesla, led by the Instagram social network. She said she sold the car and donated money to the US National Public Radio Station (NPR), which is “under threat by President Musk.”
“My parents always said… you’re the one you hang out with,” she wrote. “It’s time you have to decide who you’re going to suit. A very long Tesla.”
People within the Tesla business claim that the company is separate from the CEO. But that surge in valuation has played a key role in building the wealth of masks used to fund Trump’s campaign, thanks to previously burgeoning sales.
Tesla’s stock accounts for about a third of Musk’s wealth, according to Bloomberg. The private rocket company SpaceX is another third of ownership, while the rest links to Xai, X Social Network, Boring Company, Tunnel Business, and stakes from Brain-Computer Interface Company NeuralInk. Musk uses Tesla and SpaceX shares to secure personal loans worth billions of dollars.
Tesla reported its first annual sales decline in 2024 amid a tough time for the global automotive industry. It is not yet clear whether Musk’s right-wing politics contributed to its decline, and the company could potentially be able to compensate for the lost left-wing clientele with new enthusiasts on the right.
Some commentators have linked the sharp decline in German Tesla sales with a December declaration of support for the far-right alternative Deutschland (AFD). German Tesla sales fell 60% year-on-year in January, but delivery schedules could be affected by other factors that exceeded demand.
Tesla could be vulnerable to political backlash in other ways. In the UK, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davy said this week that the Labour government should impose tariffs on Tesla vehicles in retaliation from the White House, which taxes steel imports.
Tesla was asked to comment.
Source: www.theguardian.com
