Continuing demonstrations are being held against tech industrialist Elon Musk, notwithstanding his departure from the position of leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency. This follows a heightened public argument with President Donald Trump concerning the substantial tax and domestic policy act referred to as the ‘large, attractive bill.’
Musk, who had previously supported Trump’s 2024 bid for presidency through a donation of $288 million, labeled the aforementioned act as a ‘repulsive aberration.’ This critique arrived just a few days subsequent to his decision to part ways with DOGE, a federal undertaking focusing on reducing public expenditure.
In response to the escalating feud, Donald Trump warned of possible cessation of government contracts pertaining to Musk’s business ventures. In counter, Musk proclaimed that ‘Trump would have been unsuccessful in the elections’ if not for his support.
In public response to this dispute, negative feelings towards Musk found their expression in widespread protests held outside Tesla dealerships. Hardly a trace of this hostility was left uncovered, with 60 separate protests organized for Saturday in cities including Delray Beach in Florida, Louisville in Kentucky and Decatur in Georgia. These demonstrations were part of an initiative titled as the Tesla Takedown movement, which initiated in the middle of February in response to Musk’s engagement with DOGE.
At approximately 11:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, a congregation of an estimated 30 protestors assembled outside a Tesla dealership in Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The participants gathered on a damp morning, displaying their dissent towards Tesla and Musk’s policies.
These numbers, however, represented a significant decrease from the previous week’s gathering in Rockville, Maryland, which saw the participation of nearly 200 individuals. A statement by one of the organizing members of the event summed up the persistent determination of the protestors, ‘This is not over because he chose to concede defeat gracefully,’ referring to Musk’s exit from his role at DOGE.
The central message of the Tesla Takedown movement is urging individuals to ‘get rid of your Teslas, deprioritize your holdings, and be part of the protest lines.’ The belief driving this message is the notion that ‘hindering Musk would promote preservation of lives and protect our democratic values.’
Tesla suffered major setbacks with their sales, recording a 13% drop in the first quarterly report for this year. This marked the most significant decline in the number of units delivered since the company’s establishment. Furthermore, shares of Tesla (TSLA) experienced a hefty drop of around 14% within the same week and have fallen approximately 47% since reaching a high of $488.54 on December 18.
Neither Tesla nor the initial organizing contributors of the Tesla Takedown movement responded to attempts to obtain comments on the situation and their responses, if any, to the issues at hand.
Musk moving on from DOGE, combined with his strained affiliation with Trump, dwindling Tesla sales and plunging company share prices do not seem to indicate a dwindling of the Tesla Takedown movement. In fact, the protests are slated to continue, unabated.
Upon Musk’s declaration of his exit from DOGE, the social media account maintained by Tesla Takedown called for further acts of protest on Saturday, June 28. This call to action presented itself as a way of ‘recommitting to the battle,’ signifying no change in the intensity and motivations of the protest movement.
A significant amount of the protesting population have expressed their intent to continue with the demonstrations, despite Musk’s withdrawal from DOGE. Some protestors have even called for the diversion of pension funds away from Tesla, presenting a new front of the protests.
A major cause of the public ire and demonstrations is due to long-standing institutional investors penning a letter to Tesla’s board. This letter, sent out in late May, voiced several concerns about the company’s direction and operations, thus adding a spark to the public protest against Musk’s policies.
The post Elon Musk Faces Backlash Following Departure from DOGE appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
