Backlash Against Restructuring and Budget Cuts
Political Moves by Musk Intensify Tesla's Troubles
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, who has emerged as the most powerful figure in the second term of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, has taken the lead in federal government restructuring and budget cuts as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This has sparked widespread protests across the United States. In particular, criticism has intensified after Musk made a gesture similar to the Nazi salute and expressed support for the German far-right during President Trump's inauguration event held at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on the 20th of last month.
Elon Musk, who has emerged as the most powerful figure in the second term of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, has taken the lead in federal government restructuring and budget cuts as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), sparking widespread protests against these measures. Photo by AFP Yonhap News
On the 15th (local time), foreign media including the BBC reported that dozens of protests occurred at Tesla stores across the U.S., including New York, Seattle, and Kansas City. Protesters criticized Musk as a fascist or Nazi and called for a boycott of Tesla cars, holding placards that read "Burn Tesla and Save Democracy." They also criticized President Trump and Musk for closing government departments and laying off employees.
On the same day, American country singer Sheryl Crow released a video showing her disposing of a Tesla car. She added that the proceeds from the sale would be donated to NPR, the public radio broadcaster that Musk had threatened to cut funding to. NPR is a U.S. public radio network that, despite being a public broadcaster, relies more on private sponsorships and donations than government funding.
Previously, Musk had consistently expressed antagonism toward NPR. On the 5th, he posted on his X account, "Cut funding to NPR" and said, "They need to survive on their own." NPR responded to Musk's claims by stating, "We receive less than 1% of our annual budget from the federal government-supported public broadcasting agency." NPR also protested by saying, "We are a private nonprofit organization with editorial independence," and decided not to publish new content on Musk's X (formerly Twitter) account.
Elon Musk, who has emerged as the most influential figure in the second term of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, has taken the lead in federal government restructuring and budget cuts as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Opposition protests against this are spreading. Photo by AFP Yonhap News
According to Bloomberg, Tesla stock accounts for about one-third of Musk's wealth. Tesla experienced a decline in annual sales for the first time last year. It is unclear whether Musk's right-wing politics contributed to this downturn. However, some experts analyzed that the sharp drop in Tesla sales in Germany is related to Musk's support for the far-right party AfD (Alternative for Germany). The BBC assessed that Tesla is highly likely to be influenced by politics. In particular, the UK Labour Party government has expressed a position that tariffs should be imposed on Tesla cars in retaliation for the U.S. imposing tariffs on steel imports.
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