Times are tough all over, but spare a thought for Elon Musk was considered an inspirational figure or, at worst, an embarrassing nuisance. Sadly it’s now impossible to live your life without seeing his saggy-faced rictus grin plastered all over the news as he Nazi salutes his way into political power.
Musk is indelibly linked with Tesla, with its surging value propelling him to unimaginable riches. But now, after cozying up to Donald Trump, the wheels have fallen off (occasionally literally). The Tesla brand, Tesla vehicles, and Tesla owners are now firmly in the political crosshairs, with protests outside dealerships, vehicles being vandalized, and the company’s value in freefall.
It’s gotten so bad Tesla owners are buying bumper stickers pleading with would-be vandals “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy!”, Trump himself got roped into a website claiming to have the personal information of all Tesla owners.
Trump and Musk are in panic mode, and after insisting that damaging Teslas was “domestic terrorism” the president is now vowing that anyone “caught sabotaging” Teslas may be facing decades behind bars and vowed that law enforcement is on the case:
In actuality, as Trump well knows, even he can’t do much to make this late-night blathering a reality. Creating a law giving specific protections to the Tesla brand would be ridiculous even by Trump standards and a law mandating long sentences for vandalizing any car would be unenforceable. Plus, even with presidential might behind them, police departments simply have too much else to do to prioritize vehicular vandalism.
this specific reaction is so funny to me. you idiots won, you’re supposed to have this huge cultural mandate from the election, you’re storm that avenges America and instead you’re nextdoor posting but *only* for petty vandalism to Teslas to keep Elon’s stock inflated pic.twitter.com/hq1XyP4nFy
— the thicc husband & father (@lukeisamazing) March 16, 2025
Sadly for Tesla owners, they’re just going to have to accept that their vehicle is now a target for political protest regardless of whether they’re fans of Trump and Musk. Many have sighed and bit the bullet, selling their cars simply to avoid being linked with the new istration. Business Insider spoke to a few disgruntled Tesla owners, with one summing up the mood as simply “I was embarrassed to be seen driving it”.
“They didn’t quite tell me what the symbols were, but I had a hunch at the time what they were, and then I confirmed it later that evening when I saw that there were Nazi swastikas painted on my Cybertruck and five others in the lot as well.”https://t.co/AabnoIjHop pic.twitter.com/JKAZ7jzpGy
— Phoenix Insurgent (@PhxInsurgent) March 14, 2025
This wave of Tesla sales is inevitably driving down the price of the car on the second-hand market, so if you’re tempted the time to get rid of the car is now. After all, there’s no indication Musk will pull back from his embrace of Trump, and who knows what could be around the corner? He’s already thrown out a Nazi salute, maybe in a month he’ll goosestep onstage wearing a pristine SS uniform with a swastika armband?
Published: Mar 21, 2025 06:46 am