CNN
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Demonstrators gathered at more than 50 Tesla showrooms across the United States on Saturday in protest of CEO Elon Musk’s role in slashing government agencies as part of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency established by President Donald Trump.
The protests are part of “Tesla Takedown,” which, according to its website, hopes to encourage stakeholders to “sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines.”
“Creating a vote of no confidence in him from the shareholders, that would be the ultimate goal,” Alex Winter, a Los Angeles-based actor and filmmaker who is one of the main organizers, told CNN.
The first Tesla Takedown protest was on February 15 after Winter spoke with Joan Donovan, a sociologist and professor at Boston University, who suggested a Tesla protest on Bluesky, an alternative to Musk’s X.
Musk, the world’s richest person, began leading DOGE on January 20. Musk’s role has received criticism from the start, due in part to buyout offers to federal employees alongside mass layoffs; dismantling the US Agency for International Development; and seeking access to sensitive payment systems.
The Tesla Takedown movement is also gaining traction internationally. There was a protest Friday in Barcelona, and three protests are set for this weekend in London; Lisbon, Portugal; and Reykjavik, Iceland, according to Winter.
“I am very satisfied, even with where we are now,” he said. “We provided people an easy way to protest during a very difficult time.”
Protests have varied in size, with some of the largest demonstrations taking place in the cities of Boston and Portland, as well as in California and Florida, according to Winter. About 1,000 protesters gathered with signs Saturday in Tucson, Arizona. In Washington, DC, what started as only two demonstrators standing outside a showroom in the Georgetown neighborhood grew to about 20 within an hour.
The demonstration included chants of “Elon Musk has got to go,” as well as drivers honking horns in support.
Peter Jones, a 59-year-old pilot, told CNN that he searched on Friday for upcoming protests but found none. He said if it weren’t for his wife, who heard the chanting and was curious about the protest, they would have missed out.
“It feels great because right now I feel powerless,” Jones said. “Nobody can keep up with all of the destruction. I don’t feel empowered unless we get out into the street; that’s one thing we have is mass.”
Jones’ wife, Bonnie Jones, said she’s concerned about Musk’s other investments and contracts, including the high-speed internet service Starlink, because Musk has not been properly vetted through a confirmation hearing like other Trump appointees.
Donna Powell, a retiree in the Washington, DC, area, told CNN this is her 20th protest against the Trump administration and Musk’s involvement.
“Tesla stock has been going down and we want to see that continue and we want to see Musk hurt,” said Powell. “We also hope that Congress will grow a spine and do what they’re elected to do.”
Declining sales, which could lead investors to sell off their stock, hurt Tesla’s value — which accounts for much of Musk’s net worth. He owns nearly 411 million shares of Tesla, or 13% of the company.
Tesla did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
In December, Musk became the first person to have a net worth above $400 billion. He has since lost $52 billion in net worth as shares of Tesla (TSLA) have plunged 27.6% in February.
It’s unclear whether the Tesla Takedown movement will have much of an impact on the company. Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at automotive site Edmunds, noted there hasn’t been a bump in Tesla owners appraising their used cars.
Some hesitation could be that selling a car relies on other factors, including the cost of buying a new vehicle while interest rates are high and because Teslas are now less expensive, she said.
Although Tesla may face pushback because of Musk’s involvement in the government, some Tesla owners and potential buyers are likely separating Tesla as a company from Musk, she said. Caldwell added that the attention Musk has received from DOGE is not good for Tesla’s business.
“When you look at the other car companies, most people couldn’t name another automotive CEO and much less their opinion on politics,” Caldwell told CNN.
Tesla reported global sales of 1.79 million in 2024, compared with 1.81 million in 2023. The 1.1% drop was Tesla’s first annual decline in 12 years.
Tesla recently reported a 16% decline in sales between December and January. That was an improvement after Tesla sales dropped 24% between December 2023 and January 2024.
Another explanation for decreased sales could be that Tesla hasn’t made many new changes, Caldwell said. Aside from a few refreshes to old models and the release of the Cybertruck, the cars are “a bit older.” The company is also a smaller share of electric vehicle makers as it faces increased competition from General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen and other brands.