Washington DC—Saturday marked the third week of Tesla protests in the DC-Maryland-Virginia (DC-MD-VA) area as the protests outside Tesla dealerships continued growing and spreading across the country. The protests reflect the extent of the rage many feel towards mega-billionaire Elon Musk for his role in the takeover and takedown of vital Federal agencies and functions. Protesters are urging car owners to sell their Teslas or boycott the electric car company altogether. They are calling their actions Tesla Takedown in response to Musk’s Federal Government takedown.
The fact that there are so many drivers honking their horns in support of the protesters shows that many who are not themselves directly involved in the protests support the cvil actions because they feel the same way as those on the sidewalks holding signs and banners, and chanting from bullhorns.
Elon Musk has led a 6-week effort to unconstitutionally deconstruct congressionally authorized Federal Government agencies, while illegally firing tens of thousands of Federal workers without due-process. The second and third order effects are just beginning to be felt by millions as financial and regulatory services begin to slow and funding for many programs has been slowed or halted.
Other Federal workers have been barred from entering their workplaces altogether. Federal workers at U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Treasury, Department of Education, NASA, FBI, Department of Labor, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, HUD, NIH, and many others have been barred from entering their offices or fired.
Most of Musks actions are being challenged in Federal Courts but some of the temporary restraining orders have been ignored.
Musk has also led an effort which has in effect harassed those Federal workers still remaining in agency workplaces by sending them ambiguous email updates titled “fork in the road,” outlining requirements for them to accept deferred resignations or face an uncertain employment futures. Another email sent en masse created chaos when it ordered the entire Federal workforce to report back their weekly accomplishments within a few days even though Federal workers already report accomplishments to supervisory staff for annual evaluations.
Another policy letter sent on Thursday was circulated which outlined further actions yet to be taken against Federal workers which included plans to relocate many agencies far outside of the DC-MD-VA region to other States in the coming year.
These Twitter-styled communications mimic the reduction in force rollouts enacted against the social media company before Musk fired most of the staff at that company and rebranded it “X.”
Musk’s burn it all down actions in the Federal government infrastructure has triggered an unusually spirited response from ordinary citizens who normally would not take part in first amendment demonstrations. For many it was their first time ever going to a protest. But in this case, the ordinary citizens included mothers with their children, grandparents, Federal workers, and private sector professionals who would usually be home completing their regular weekend activities. They are showing up with hand made signs along with activists who have done this kind of thing before and they are bearing their displeasure towards the mega-billionaire.
The protesters have targeted Tesla dealerships because it is where Elon Musk has most of his wealth tied up. The protests are exposing a a deep vein of emotion and anger and those who are showing up are exchanging information on how or organize and get others to join the protests.
Musk’s cruel treatment of Federal workers and their families, along with his arrogance towards those affected has fueled the rage and it has built more each week as more join in the protests.
The protests also seem to have a significant impact on Tesla stock, although it is not possible to scientifically measure the extent protests have on stock values. They have dropped from a value of $424.07 per share on January 17 to a value of $290.80 per share as of Thursday (February 27) since the inauguration. Thats a $133.27 drop in value per share or a decrease of 31% in Tesla’s total stock value. This represents a significant loss in the billionaire’s wealth, and it was a cause for celebration among protesters this Saturday.
The embarrassing foreign policy disaster that unfolded in the Oval Office on Friday between Trump, Vance, and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also tapped into the resentment towards Trump and Musk. Several brought Ukrainian flags which they waved at outside the Arlington, VA Tesla dealership.
