At the end of February, the Culver City resident, David Andreone, published a photo of his Black Model 3 Tesla on Facebook and Instagram and offered it for sale for $ 35,000. Although the publications received dozens of comments, buyers did not arise.
Andreone, 59, said he loves to drive the car, but made the decision to sell after the brand association with the co -founder and executive director Elon Musk became too much to endure.
Musk, widely considered as an eccentric visionary that popularized electric vehicles, has held an outstanding position in the Trump administration as the leader of the so -called Government Efficiency Department, or Doge, since January.
Once he is a defender of climate change activism, Musk now represents the agenda of President Trump, including efforts to reduce the size of the federal government and reverse environmental protections.
“I never bought a car for political reasons in my life,” Andreone said. “Now I feel that I want to get rid of one for political reasons. I am a little surprised and horrified by what he is doing. “
While Andreone is selling her vehicle, innumerable drivers of Tesla are fighting with what the cars represent and if they want to be connected to the brand. They said that some are ashamed or ashamed by the association with Musk, and several have slapped the bumper stickers that make people know the car before Musk assumed their new public role.
Bateman has put a sticker for bumper in the rear window of his tesla saying: “I bought this before we knew that Elon was crazy.”
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Although Musk and Tesla still dominate the electric vehicle market, the violent reaction against Musk's conservative policy could be contributing to the fall in the price of Tesla shares and the fall in resale values, especially in California of liberal inclination, experts said in the industry.
Tesla's shares have fallen by 26% during the last month and have fallen 35% to date, which reflects the concerns among some investors that Musk is not spending enough time attending to their highest profile business.
The protests arrive at a crucial moment for Tesla, who already faced a slowdown in his business.
Vehicle sales decreased for the first time in the company's history last year, the company reported in January. Deliveries fell to 1.79 million, which represents a drop of 1.1% of 1.81 million vehicles in 2023, a decrease that analysts attributed to the lack of new models in an increasingly competitive market for electric vehicles.
The profits increased 3% to 73 cents per share in the fourth quarter (excluding unique elements), below the 77 cents per action that analysts had estimated.
Although it is based in Austin, Texas, Tesla retains significant ties with California, with a large manufacturing plant in Fremont.
A Tesla representative did not respond to comments requests.
In an effort to boost Tesla's popularity among his followers, Trump Publicly bought A new red S model in the White House grass earlier this week. It was a sample of loyalty to Musk that will certainly give Tesla to some fans on the right side of the political spectrum, according to experts, but will surely alienate others. The support increased the shares of Tesla, which increased by 8% on Wednesday to close to $ 248.09.
President Trump leaves his new red tesla s in front of the White House on Tuesday. The purchase was a sample of loyalty to Musk.
(Associated Press)
“The question is, is Musk winning more people than he is losing?” Karl Brauer, an analyst at Iseecars.com. Resale prices for used teslas could suggest that there is a drastically demand that falls through vehicles, he said.
In February, Tesla headed the list of brands that lost the value more than resale year after year, followed by Maserati and Chrysler, according to the data provided by Brauer. The price of a S and Tesla model used fell by approximately 16% from February 2024 to February 2025. The price of a used 3 model fell 13.5% during the same period.
“The price is a reflection of supply and demand,” said Brauer. “Then it could be that nobody wants to buy them more, or that there is a massive influx of them available, or both.”
Amid the investor concerns, Trump's opponents have been organizing against Musk and his automotive company, maintaining protests A naughty field Encourage people to get rid of their teslas and denounce musk. Others have drawn their frustration for vandalizing or destroying Electric vehicles and their load stations.
In San Francisco, the flyers published in the city present a photo of Elon Musk supposedly Making a Nazi greeting and advise readers to “sell their swasticle.”
Musk dismissed the accusations that the greeting was a gesture of the Nazi era and blamed the liberal media for misunderstanding their actions.
While political activism against a vehicle brand is not common, said Brauer, has happened before. In the mid -2000s, as the awareness of climate change increased, many began to protest Gasoline vehicles Like hummers throwing eggs.
MUSK has other companies in addition to electric vehicles, including the Spacex spacecraft manufacturer, the Internet service provider Starlink and the Neuralink Neurotechnology Company. But his conservative image is more linked to Teslas, and the cars have become inseparable from his personal brand.
“Musk will have to do a better job by balancing the responsibilities of its elves and Trump instead of being executive director of Tesla,” said Dan Iives, Wedbush Securities analyst who has a purchase rating on Tesla's actions. “When you are so synonymous with a brand, it is a careful balance and has almost reached a turning point.”
IVES estimated that less than 5% of Tesla's owners would dissuade another Tesla due to Musk's political actions. But the bad reputation could damage the final result of the company, he said.
“When you sell a mass market vehicle and take a political affiliation like this, there is an inconvenience,” said Iives.
Musk has already lost the favor of many clients whom he once appealed, including the Tesla driver, Dan Bateman, 75.
Bateman, a resident retired from Diamond Bar who has led a Tesla for five years, said he is no longer happy with the image that portrays the car. It is politically identified as the central left and wanted an electric vehicle to help remove gasoline cars outside the road, he said.
“My original statement was that I am doing my little part to end climate change,” Bateman said. “There would be no electric cars on the road without Elon and it seems that he has turned his back on that. I feel they have betrayed me. “
Several bumper stickers are available online for Tesla drivers who wish to show their disapproval of Musk and their policy.
(Peter Morgan / Associated Press)
Bateman does not plan to sell his tesla, but he did put on a sticker for the bumper that says: “I bought this before knowing that Elon was crazy.”
Several similar bumper stickers They are available online for Tesla drivers who want to show their disapproval. “This is my last Tesla,” says one of them.
Bateman said he is frustrated by Musk's actions, but the resale value of his car has collapsed too much to make sense to sell. He bought it for around $ 90,000, he said, and estimates that it is now worth $ 13,000.
“I can't afford to discard it,” he said. “I feel so disappointed by him.”
Tesla has been the most prominent option among electric vehicles for years and once was the only conventional option, said Sam Granduelsamid of the Telemetry Insights transport technology. The first EV adopters who were passionate about the aspect of climate change were probably attracted to the brand, he said.
“People who buy electric vehicles have been something more politically,” Abuelsamid said. “In general, they are more inclined to believe that climate change is a problem and that we need to do something about it.”
Like Bateman, many Tesla drivers feel that Musk has lost sight of the mission that attracted them to vehicles first, he said.
Bateman said he is frustrated by Musk's actions, but the resale value of his car has collapsed too much to make sense to sell. He bought it for around $ 90,000, he said, and estimates that it is now worth $ 13,000.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“As they have seen that Musk shows their true colors of their personal policy and personal attitudes, they have decided that this is not someone who wants to support with their dollars,” Abuelsamid said.
Musk's public personality is creating problems for all Tesla drivers, not only for those who oppose Doge and Trump administration. A Cybertruck driver, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, said someone recently left a raw message drawn powder in his vehicle.
The 44 -year -old Ventura County resident ordered his cybertruck in 2019, a few days after early orders were available. He received it last September and said he never had political motivations to make the purchase of $ 130,000.
“Musk is going to do what he wants and what he thinks is correct and I am not necessarily judging him for that,” said the Cybertruck driver. “But it is alienating a large part of consumers and potentially results in a violent reaction against existing customers.”
He is concerned that his truck is damaged when he leaves her parked for long periods, but does not feel ashamed to drive him.
“I didn't buy it as a political symbol,” he said. “It is not as if I had political things in the truck or anything like that. So why should I feel ashamed?
