(The Hill) — Hundreds of protestors gathered outside of Tesla showrooms on Saturday to showcase their disdain for CEO Elon Musk and his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in an effort to slash federal spending.
The “Tesla Takedown” movement has launched a series of demonstrations that have taken place in Washington, D.C., Boston, and other locations, aiming to encourage investors to divest in Tesla stock and charging electric vehicle owners to ditch the brand. Approximately 80 protests took place on Saturday alone, according to CNN.
“Sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines. Hurting Tesla is stopping Musk,” a statement on their website reads.
Slideshow: Protestors gather outside Tesla showrooms
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Protesters carrying signs and chant slogans protesting Elon Musk and President Donald Trump outside a Tesla showroom and service center in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles on Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) -
Protesters rally during a protest outside a Tesla showroom against U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Santa Rosa, Calif., Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Photo by Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) -
Protesters carrying signs and chant slogans protesting Elon Musk and President Donald Trump outside a Tesla showroom and service center in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles on Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) -
Protesters rally outside a Tesla dealership in San Francisco, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Josh Edelson) -
Protesters rally outside a Tesla dealership in San Francisco, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Josh Edelson) -
Protesters rally outside a Tesla dealership in San Francisco, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Josh Edelson) -
Protesters during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, outside a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters hold signs and sing chants during a protest against Elon Musk and his Tesla car company outside the Tesla dealership in Boston, Massachusetts on March 15, 2025. US President Donald Trump’s senior advisor Elon Musk is leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has cut thousands of government jobs and upended agencies, prompting numerous court challenges. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images) -
Protesters hold signs and sing chants during a protest against Elon Musk and his Tesla car company outside the Tesla dealership in Boston, Massachusetts on March 15, 2025. US President Donald Trump’s senior advisor Elon Musk is leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has cut thousands of government jobs and upended agencies, prompting numerous court challenges. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images) -
Protesters hold signs and sing chants during a protest against Elon Musk and his Tesla car company outside the Tesla dealership in Boston, Massachusetts on March 15, 2025. US President Donald Trump’s senior advisor Elon Musk is leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has cut thousands of government jobs and upended agencies, prompting numerous court challenges. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images) -
Protesters carrying signs and chanting slogans stands outside a Tesla showroom and service center in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles on Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) -
A protester holds a sign reading “SELL THAT TESLA” in front of a Tesla driver during a rally outside a Tesla dealership in San Francisco, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Josh Edelson) -
Protesters during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, outside a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, outside a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters near the University Village mall, where a Tesla showroom is located, during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, near a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, outside a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters march during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, near a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, outside a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
A Telsa showroom as protesters rally outside against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters march during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, near a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, outside a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
A protester during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, near a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, outside a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, outside a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, near a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, near a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters hold signs and sing chants during a protest against Elon Musk and his Tesla car company outside the Tesla dealership in Boston, Massachusetts on March 15, 2025. US President Donald Trump’s senior advisor Elon Musk is leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has cut thousands of government jobs and upended agencies, prompting numerous court challenges. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images) -
Protesters hold signs and sing chants during a protest against Elon Musk and his Tesla car company outside the Tesla dealership in Boston, Massachusetts on March 15, 2025. US President Donald Trump’s senior advisor Elon Musk is leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has cut thousands of government jobs and upended agencies, prompting numerous court challenges. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images) -
Protesters hold signs and sing chants during a protest against Elon Musk and his Tesla car company outside the Tesla dealership in Boston, Massachusetts on March 15, 2025. US President Donald Trump’s senior advisor Elon Musk is leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has cut thousands of government jobs and upended agencies, prompting numerous court challenges. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images) -
Protesters during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, outside a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters during a rally against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration, outside a Tesla showroom in Seattle, Washington, US, on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The electric-vehicle maker has been hit by headline-grabbing protests and vandalism in recent weeks, part of a backlash to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government. Photographer: David Ryder/Blooomberg -
Protesters rally during a protest outside a Tesla showroom against U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Santa Rosa, Calif., Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Photo by Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) -
Protesters rally during a protest outside a Tesla showroom against U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Santa Rosa, Calif., Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Photo by Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) -
Protesters rally during a protest outside a Tesla showroom against U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Santa Rosa, Calif., Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Photo by Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) -
Protesters hold signs and sing chants during a protest against Elon Musk and his Tesla car company outside the Tesla dealership in Boston, Massachusetts on March 15, 2025. US President Donald Trump’s senior advisor Elon Musk is leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has cut thousands of government jobs and upended agencies, prompting numerous court challenges. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
“Stopping Musk will help save lives and our democracy. The stakes couldn’t be higher. No one is coming to save us—not politicians, not the media.”
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said he was looking for a “new ride” after getting rid of his Tesla, which he argued was “built and designed by an a‑‑hole.”
“Every time I get in this car in the last 60 days or so, it reminds me of just how much Elon Musk and Donald Trump is doing to our country. Talking about slashing Social Security, cutting health care benefits for poor people, for seniors. It’s one bad thing after the next,” Kelly said in a video posted to X.
Musk has supported efforts to close the U.S. Agency for International Development and the regulatory Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in his role as senior adviser to President Trump.
The tech giant is frequently spotted on the South Lawn with the leader and highlighted unique Tesla features next to Trump with three cars parked at the White House on Tuesday, which caused some to question the event’s ethical standing.
“I mean, nobody else has a car company started up in the last 30 years that’s been successful, I don’t think so,” Trump told reporters.
“But because he’s finding all sorts of terrible things that have taken place against our country, we want to penalize him in an economic sense. And I just think that’s very unfair. So I just wanted to make a statement. I’m going to buy one now.”
The Hill reached out to Tesla for comment.