Protestors across the nation gathered outside Tesla showrooms on Saturday to protest CEO Elon Musk’s leadership of President Donald Trump’s government cost-cutting initiative.
Demonstrators in cities like New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles carried signs with the phrase “Stop Musk,” signaling concerns over his close ties to Trump’s agenda, reported the Guardian.
Protests against DOGE have been taking place in Washington, D.C. since February 3. Critics argue that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is illegally dismantling agencies and firing federal workers.
“We’re under attack by billionaires,” said one ex-federal worker, Hanna Hickman, who was recently fired under DOGE’s unwavering purge.
Musk’s $200 million campaign contribution to Trump’s election campaign has raised alarms among Tesla investors, fearing sales declines in liberal strongholds like California.
The Financial Times said Tesla’s stock value has declined by 12% since the beginning of this year. Tesla experienced its first annual sales decline last year.
Meanwhile, Tesla sales in Germany dropped nearly 60% after Musk inserted himself into the nation’s elections and aligned himself with far-right politics.
Musk even drew the ire of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who gave a rather dismissive take on Musk’s scrutiny on German politics, “Don’t feed the troll.”
Celebrities joined the backlash–Sheryl Crow sold her Tesla, saying, “You are who you hang out with.”
Musk’s political stance could reshape Tesla’s customer base–potentially trading liberal buyers for conservative ones.
Trump signed an order to kill the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), which was initially investigating Tesla for workplace discrimination.
Time Magazine mocked Trump’s administration by putting a photo of “President Elon Musk” on the cover of the publication in response to his growing presence in American politics.
Musk’s bid to buy Sam Altman’s OpenAI, which a lawsuit revealed he left after a failed attempt to merge the company with Tesla, has led to Altman publicly speaking about the spat.
Trump’s staff said the president was “furious” at Musk for panning his $500 billion artificial intelligence (AI) deal dubbed the Stargate project involving OpenAI.
“They don’t actually have the money,” Musk said in an X post referencing the project that includes Soft Bank acting as chair and OpenAI as a key initial tech partner.
Source : https://www.latintimes.com/protestors-gather-outside-tesla-showrooms-across-nation-stop-musk-575841
