The Tesla Takedown movement appears to be upping the ante in its crusade against Tesla and X owner Elon Musk.
The group has been holding protests at Tesla facilities in America while encouraging Tesla owners to sell their vehicles and sell off their stock. Now, they are taking their efforts global. Axios reported that the group is “expecting hundreds of demonstrations to take place at the automaker’s showrooms across the world Saturday for what it has dubbed a ‘global day of action.’”
Tesla Takedown claims on its website that “Hurting Tesla is stopping Musk” and that “Stopping Musk will help save lives and our democracy.”
The movement’s members have targeted Musk because he is a key ally of President Donald Trump and he heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, which aims to cut government spending and eliminate waste. The activists are moving against Tesla because of DOGE’s layoffs and cuts to government programs.
It has been behind most of the Tesla protests occurring nationwide, The Washington Post reported.
A groundswell of Tesla protests have erupted across the globe, many launched by groups that have emerged in recent months. Activists created “Telsa Takedown,” a clearinghouse for smaller protests, earlier this year. Rise and Resist, a social advocacy group started in 2016 during Trump’s first administration, now focuses on anti-Tesla action, offering a tool kit for organizing protests at Tesla showrooms. On Saturday, protesters will gather at dozens of Tesla dealerships as part of a global day intended “to stop Musk’s illegal coup.”
This anti-Tesla sentiment has spread online, inspiring videos of people defacing Teslas with spray paint, eggs and keys, and in one viral post, Mardi Gras revelers throwing beads and alcohol at a Cybertruck during a parade. Cousins said those attacking Tesla vehicles and the company’s properties are “not the same people we are rallying with,” and she does not condone the violence.
Still, the singular focus on Tesla — a brand that built its popularity largely through liberal customers concerned about climate change — is a shift from Trump’s first term, when unrest scattered across issue-specific events, including the Women’s March, demonstrations against the president’s “Muslim ban,” and pro-science rallies.
But in Tesla, activists have found a catchall for an array of political grievances — and a rare chance to trace impact directly, through sinking car sales and company stock. Although Tesla’s stock has risen slightly in recent days, it has fallen by nearly 30 percent since Trump’s inauguration. Tesla owners are also trading in their vehicles at an increasing rate and prices for used Teslas have sunk.
Members of the group appear to be using Musk as a scapegoat, given his wealth and proximity to the president. They wish to send a message to the Trump administration through targeting Tesla. One of its members told The Guardian that “Nobody voted for this, and nobody voted for Elon” and called him “an unelected super-billionaire” and “a thug.”
It is unclear how effective Tesla Takedown has been. While Tesla’s stock prices have dropped, there are likely a myriad of forces contributing to these numbers. Indeed, the politics of Musk’s position alone could have precipitated the drop.
However, the fact that other left-wing activists have been vandalizing and firebombing Tesla vehicles and facilities could also have something to do with it. It is not known whether the movement is connected to the attacks, but the attacks appear to be escalating. Police in Austin, TX, recently discovered incendiary devices at a storeroom in the city.
Nevertheless, this movement is indicative of the lengths to which leftists will go to attack the president and his allies. Folks who would rather see the government expand are irate at the notion that someone might want to make it less powerful. But in the end, it is unlikely that these efforts will produce any fruit. Musk is not backing down, and neither is Trump.
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