Demonstrations have erupted at several Tesla facilities across the country on Saturday as protesters rally against the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, and his position in the White House.
Newsweek has reached out to Musk via Tesla’s email for comment on Saturday afternoon.
Why It Matters
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is a nongovernmental task force led by Musk, President Donald Trump‘s billionaire ally. DOGE is working to cut wasteful federal spending and has most recently drawn sharp scrutiny for seeking unfettered access to the internal data of agencies across the government, including the Labor Department, U.S. Treasury, Office of Personnel Management, General Services Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Small Business Administration and more.
Musk has been working as a “special government employee,” a White House official told the Associated Press and does not receive a paycheck. However, given his reported influence, opponents of the new administration have criticized the influence Musk, an unelected official, has over the government and have accused him of mounting a “hostile takeover” of the government, a claim which he denies.
What To Know
Since Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, Musk has been an ever-growing presence in U.S. politics, joining rallies, speaking out on social media, joining Trump in the White House and now heading DOGE.
However, since DOGE’s recent efforts regarding access to sensitive data, Democratic leaders and everyday citizens have sounded alarms over Musk.
On Saturday, videos posted to X, formerly Twitter, which Musk owns, showed protesters at Tesla facilities in New York City, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis and Austin as protesters voiced their concerns over Musk’s recent efforts in the White House.
Some of the signs that protesters held read: “Unplug Mad King Musk;” “Stop the coup;” “Musk is the fraud;” and “Deport Musk.”
Happening now: Protesters at the Tesla service center just outside of Minneapolis. Signs reading “Unplug Mad King Musk”, “This car runs on facsism”, “Who buys cars from a nazi?”, “Say no to doge”, “Don’t buy swasticars, BAD DOGE!”. pic.twitter.com/Z8Q8Y5g0wD
— daviss (@daviss) February 15, 2025
HAPPENING NOW: Protesters are gathering outside of Tesla at the Domain to voice their concerns against Elon Musk. The group calls it the Tesla Takedown @fox7austin pic.twitter.com/fVZjvsbmyv
— Jenna King (@jennakingtv) February 15, 2025
The protests come after a webpage called TeslaTakedown on ActionNetwork.org lets anyone set up a local DOGE protest, with calls for anyone who owns Tesla stock or cars to sell them. At least three dozen events are listed on the webpage.
While it’s unclear how many people will continue to join the demonstrations, and whether there is even a clear leader behind the movement, it urges others to join the picket line stating, “Hurting Tesla is stopping Musk” and “Stopping Musk will help save lives and our democracy.”
Saturday’s demonstrations are not the first time protesters have voiced concern over Musk. Last week protesters, in conjunction with the 50501 Movement, rallied throughout the nation.
The 50501 Movement—or 50 states, 50 protests, one day—garnered support throughout social media over its plan to stage demonstrations across the nation to “fight Fascism” on February 5.
The protests were against Trump and his actions during his first three weeks back in the White House.
Police in Boston previously confirmed to Newsweek that over 200 people showed up as protester Laura Olson made a “Re$train Musk” poster for the rally. The opposite side of the sign read “chaos ≠ good govt.”
“Nobody elected Musk,” Olson told Newsweek. “He’s destroying our government.”
Since last week’s protest, Tesla has found itself in an awkward free fall—in sales and in public perception.
In January, Tesla’s sales in France plummeted by 63.4 percent, Germany saw a 59.5 percent drop, and even the United Kingdom, a slightly more forgiving market, reported a 12 percent decline, according to EV Magazine, a specialized publication on electric vehicles.
Musk’s once-coveted electric vehicles, which were practically a prerequisite for Silicon Valley parking lots, are now being ditched for alternatives like BMW’s iX and Polestar models.
Disillusioned Tesla owners are getting creative with bumper stickers on Etsy reading, “I Bought This Before We Knew Elon Was Crazy” and “Anti-Elon Tesla Club” are trending, with both selling in the thousands. As one former enthusiast bluntly said to WIRED, driving a Tesla in certain circles today “feels like wearing a MAGA hat on wheels.”
Despite the protests against Musk, Arizona voters recently approved of Musk’s efforts within the Trump administration, according to an Engagious/Sago focus group conducted on February 11.
Eight of the 11 focus group participants said they approved of Musk’s efforts. One of the respondents disapproved of Musk, and two did not have an opinion. Some had concerns he was motivated by personal gain or that there were conflicts of interest due to his billion-dollar companies with government contracts.
In addition, a Trafalgar Group and Insider Advantage poll, conducted between February 7-9, has shown that DOGE is gaining traction among voters. Of the respondents, 49 percent approved of the job Musk is doing at DOGE. Forty-four percent disapproved.
Another poll, conducted by Morning Consult poll among 2,000 registered voters and published on February 5, found that 46 percent of Americans don’t approve of Musk’s involvement in the government, compared with 41 percent who do.
What People Are Saying
Massachusetts Democratic state Senator Sal DiDomenico at the Boston protest last week: “You have allies in the State House who are going to fight back. Donald Trump wants to be a tyrant. Donald Trump is inspired, and he respects tyrants around the world because he wants to be just that. We have to fight back as a community and a nation to allow us to have a voice, not President Musk, not President Trump but the people have the voice of this country to fight back and defend democracy because we are not going to take it anymore.”
President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House last week: “Elon got access only to letting people go that he thinks are no good if we agree with him, and it’s only if we agree with him. Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval. And we’ll give him the approval where appropriate, and where not appropriate, we won’t. Where we think there’s a conflict, we won’t let him go near it.”
What Happens Next?
Musk’s involvement is expected to continue generating backlash from Democrats, who have pushed back now with legislation. There have also been lawsuits against the Trump administration as a result of DOGE’s efforts.
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