Tesla Owners Flee from Brand After Elon Musk’s Trump Endorsement
As Elon Musk has publicly endorsed Donald Trump and supported far-right conspiracy theories, many Tesla owners are feeling embarrassed by their cars and trying to distance themselves from the billionaire entrepreneur. As a result, sales of anti-Musk stickers have boomed, with many owners purchasing the stickers to display on their vehicles.
Matt Hiller, a Hawaii-based aquarium worker, has seen a significant spike in sales of his anti-Musk stickers since the election. He started selling the stickers last year after deciding against buying a Tesla due to Musk’s behavior on social media. Hiller’s stickers feature slogans such as “Anti Elon Tesla Club” and “I Bought This Before Elon Went Crazy”, as well as a picture of Musk in clown makeup with the words “Space Clown”.
Some Tesla owners, like Mika Houston, a gymnastics teacher in Las Vegas, are feeling horrified by Musk’s actions. Houston has had a Tesla Model 3 for three years, but is now considering selling it due to Musk’s involvement with Trump. “I thought Elon was progressing our country, but he’s turned out to be kind of an evil person,” she said.
Pamela Perkins, a photographer who lives in California’s Silicon Valley, has a Model Y but is among a group of friends who are considering ditching their Teslas. “I’m turning 80 in January so I thought I’d have a sporty car that I could race anyone when the light turns green,” she said. “There was a time I thought Elon Musk was a genius but he went bad very quickly.”
The backlash against Musk may not necessarily hurt Tesla’s sales, as the company remains the dominant electric car company in the US. However, analysts warn that the brand’s reputation could be damaged in the long run if Musk’s actions continue to alienate customers.
For now, sellers of anti-Musk merchandise are cashing in on the backlash. Stacey Davis, who started selling Musk bumper stickers a year ago, has seen an 800% increase in sales since the election. “I feel like people really wanted to make their voices heard in some way, even as passive as it is,” she said.
As Trump’s presidency looms over the US for the next four years, Musk’s involvement is a bittersweet prospect for some sellers. “I’d be happy for him to disappear from public discourse and just be another rich guy,” Hiller said. “If I never sell another Elon sticker that’s fine. I’d rather him just be gone for the country’s sake and I can go back to making stickers of fish.”