Elon Musk’s Tesla facilities in the US face ‘Takedown’ protests

Tesla facilities across the US are facing protests and vandalism in response to the political role Elon Musk, who owns the car manufacturer, has played in the Trump administration.

Most “Tesla Takedown” protests have been peaceful, but a few have been destructive with fires intentionally set at Tesla showrooms and charging stations in Colorado and Massachusetts last week.

That was followed by six arrests in New York over the weekend when hundreds of protesters occupied a Tesla showroom.

There has also been a spike in Cybertruck vandalism across the US, and some car owners are defacing their own Teslas in protest of Musk.

One woman showed up to a protest outside a Burbank Tesla on Sunday with an expletive and Musk’s name scrawled in chalk across her white Model X sedan. Another car carried an “Anti Elon Tesla Club” sticker.

The protests illustrate a growing unease over Musk’s influence on the US government since President Donald Trump allowed him to create the cost-cutting task force Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).

So far, Doge has fired or offered buyouts to about 100,000 federal employees and gained access to the sensitive personal and financial information of millions of Americans.

Critics have resorted to calling the tech billionaire “President Musk”, arguing that he has too much power in the White House. Some at the protest in Burbank held signs that said “Deport Elon” and “Boycott Swasticar” – with protesters attempting to connect the car to fascism.

Tesla produced the must-have electric cars for many Americans with progressive views, but several protesters said they regretted their purchase after Musk involved himself with Trump and US politics.

Karen Rabwin, a protester at the Burbank Tesla on Sunday, attended just two days after trading in her Tesla for a Cadillac. She had slapped a bumper sticker on her old vehicle that read “Bought This Car Before We Knew” in a veiled reference to Musk, but she felt that wasn’t enough.

“It was embarrassing,” she said of driving the Tesla. “It wasn’t what I stood for. How could I drive that car? I have principles.”

Singer Sheryl Crow donated her Tesla to National Public Radio last month. She posted a video to Instagram waving goodbye to the car as it was towed away.

“There comes a time when you have to decide who you are willing to align with. So long Tesla,” Ms Crow wrote.

Musk has responded to the protests by sharing a video on X – the social media platform he owns – of a Cybertruck customer in Texas marvelling at the vehicle’s full self-driving mode.

“Heartfelt thanks to everyone supporting Tesla, despite many attacks against our stores and offices,” Musk wrote.

The social media platform has many posts of Tesla owners showcasing their electric cars. But there are also now videos showing a growing trend of Cybertrucks vandalized with swastikas, used as skate ramps or covered in garbage.

During Mardi Gras in New Orleans, spectators booed an orange Cybertruck and pelted it with beads, calling the futuristic looking vehicle a “Deplorean” or other unfriendly monikers.

Protesters on Sunday said they want to take down Telsa’s value because they are concerned that Mr Musk is damaging the economy and the the country – and their efforts may be having an effect.

While Tesla’s share price surged after Trump was elected – with Musk by his side on election night in Florida – they have tumbled back to pre-election levels following the backlash to Musk’s political involvement.

Some on Sunday also raised concerns that Musk’s government involvement is benefiting his businesses.

Critics note that the tech entrepeneur’s companies have billions of dollar of contracts with the US government, primarily with Nasa and the Defense Department, which are increasingly reliant on Musk’s SpaceX for satellite launches and space exploration.

Last week, reports claimed the Musk had attempted to get the Federal Aviation Administration to cancel a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon to revamp the agency’s telecommunications system and awarding it to Starlink, a company owned by SpaceX, instead.

SpaceX denied that report, posting on X that “Starlink is a possible partial fix to an aging system. There is no effort or intent for Starlink to ‘take over’ any existing contract”.

Some constituents are furious at Musk’s involvement and the White House’s effort to cut certain jobs and programmes. Many have show up at Republican town halls to protest the cuts and the tech billionaire’s growing influence.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders urged members of their party to stop hosting events in response, claiming without evidence that they were being disrupted by “professional protesters”.