According to The Guardian, groups of protesters gathered outside Tesla dealerships across the US during the weekend. They’re concerned about Elon Musk’s and DOGE’s efforts to decimate government spending, as ordered by Donald Trump.
The protests highlight the risks to the car company of Musk’s close association with Trump’s rightwing agenda.
Musk is leading the US president’s “department of government efficiency”, or Doge. It has rapidly dismantled government departments and fired federal workers en masse across the US. The moves have been criticised as illegal by some constitutional lawyers.
Tesla investors are concerned that Musk’s association with the Trump administration will dent its sales, especially in liberal areas of the US. California has been amongst the biggest markets for electric cars in America. The Republican party and the Trump administration are actively opposed to the technology which foregoes fossil fuel use.
American musician Sheryl Crow posted a video of her Tesla being towed away. She sold the car and donated the proceeds to US National Public Radio station (NPR), the future of which is under threat from Musk.
People within the Tesla business insist the company is separate from its chief executive. But its rising stocks allowed Musk to fund in part Trump’s election campaign.
Tesla reported its first-ever annual decline in sales last year, amid global slowing of EV adoption. It is not clear whether Musk’s rightwing politics contributed to that decline.
Some believe a 60 per cent year-on-year drop in German Tesla sales this January followed a declaration of support for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party.
In other Tesla news the company has admitted a steering problem that involves over 376,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles produced in 2023. A recall has been issued, though the company suspects only one in 100 included in the recall have the defect. It is said that in certain conditions a loss of power steering is possible.
Affected vehicles were manufactured in the U.S. It is unclear whether vehicles outside the US are also affected. Tesla says a software release resolves the issue and already the vast majority of affected vehicles in the US have had the release installed.
The recall notice said a regulatory authority outside of the US market highlighted the issue. Tesla said that it is unaware of any incidents related to it.
The electric car maker is just recovering from a major recall in December related to an Autopilot system defect. It also had seven Cybertruck recalls in 2024 alone.
