Nine people were arrested during a protest staged outside a New York Tesla dealership on Saturday. Several protestors aggressively heckled Tesla drivers while some forced their way inside the showroom, forcing the Tesla employees to cease operations and shut down the store.
Hundreds of people participated in the New York demonstration, which was part of a wave of protests sweeping the country under the movement called “Tesla Takedown.” The coordinated demonstrations were promoted and organized by Action Network, targeting Tesla CEO Elon Musk in response to his leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). While most protests have remained relatively peaceful, a few have escalated into violence and vandalism, prompting law enforcement responses.
The protests aim to hit Musk where it hurts: his business and wallet. Demonstrators hope to pressure Tesla stakeholders into dumping their shares while discouraging future purchases of Tesla vehicles. So far, protests have occurred at over 50 locations across the United States. The movement is also gaining traction internationally, with recent demonstrations in Barcelona and planned protests in London, Lisbon, and Reykjavik.
However, Tesla is already experiencing a fallout due to Musk’s political entanglements. The automaker’s financial performance has been crumbling, with its automotive revenue declining by 6% to $77 billion in 2024.
At the center of the controversy is Musk’s role in the Trump administration. He is spearheading an aggressive effort to shrink the federal government at the behest of President Donald Trump. His agency has already dismantled several federal programs, leading to the layoff of thousands of federal employees and the termination of hundreds of aid contracts and government leases.
Since Trump’s first day in office on January 20, approximately 100,000 of the 2.3 million federal employees have either accepted buyout packages or been terminated. The rapid cuts have thrown agencies into disarray, forcing some departments to rehire key employees—some of whom oversee nuclear weapons programs or are scientists working to contain the worsening bird flu outbreak.
Although Elon Musk is quite vocal and known for engaging and taunting his critics online, he has remained silent about the protests.
