Nationwide Protests Target Tesla and Elon Musk

Protests against Tesla and Elon Musk intensified nationwide over the weekend, driven by outrage over Musk’s role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump administration.

The demonstrations, organized largely by the Tesla Takedown movement, urged supporters to sell their Teslas, dump their stock, and join picket lines to oppose Musk’s involvement in mass federal job cuts.

Major protests erupted in Manhattan, Boston, Chicago, Delray Beach, Pasadena, and Lisbon, Portugal, drawing hundreds of demonstrators, with some coinciding with International Women’s Day marches.

In Manhattan, more than 350 protestors gathered outside Tesla’s West Village showroom, leading to five arrests for disorderly conduct and one for resisting arrest.

Boston saw 300 demonstrators rallying outside a Tesla dealership, staging a flash mob, while Chicago protestors held signs like “Launch Musk to Mars” and “Democracy Dies with DOGE” without reported arrests.

Clashes occurred between Tesla Takedown protestors and MAGA supporters in Chicago’s Orland Park, though no arrests were reported.

In California, hundreds protested at Tesla’s Old Pasadena dealership, with Rep. Judy Chu criticizing Musk’s DOGE initiative for harming federal workers, while Lisbon protestors denounced Musk’s right-wing influence in Europe.

The backlash coincides with Tesla’s first year-over-year sales decline, a stock price drop of over 50% from December highs, and Musk’s net worth plunging from $464 billion to $330 billion.

Musk responded by accusing billionaires like George Soros and Reid Hoffman of funding the protests through the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, though Forbes clarified ActBlue functions as a donation platform rather than a funding source for groups.