Elon Musk protests continue

Organizers used Musk’s departure from DOGE to launch another protest push. On social media, they announced that June 28 — Musk’s birthday — will mark another day of protests. They called the upcoming date a “recommitment” and encouraged people to rally harder. Knutson reiterated that the movement is against the consolidation of political and economic power in the hands of a few billionaires.

Protesters also urged large investment funds to drop Tesla shares. Some cited a May letter from institutional investors to Tesla’s board that criticized management decisions and corporate governance. These public and private efforts form a two-pronged strategy — external pressure and internal financial disruption — to reduce Musk’s influence.

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
Your. Ultimate authority for daily
Elon Musk news. Exploring the world's biggest
ideas with your host Will Walden.
There's something new every day.Elon Musk skewed with Donald
Trump and his abrupt exit from federal government role has not
slowed down the protest campaignaimed directly at his influence.

(00:25):
A Protesters linked to the Teslatakedown movement returned to
Tesla showrooms across the country this weekend, continuing
their pressure campaign despite Musk's withdrawal from the
Department of Government efficiency in his fallout with
Trump over a massive tax and spending proposal.
But a central question that keeps fueling this campaign
remains clear. Will direct action against Elon

(00:47):
Musk's influence affect Tesla's future and public trust and
billionaire backed policy now? Musk left DOGE days before
calling Trump's tax and domesticagenda a disgusting abomination.
Now, despite having donated $288,000,000 to Trump's 2024
campaign, that is now. That reversal triggered a public
confrontation with Trump threatening to cancel government

(01:09):
contracts with SpaceX, Tesla, and other Musk companies.
Now, Musk escalated the feud by claiming that Trump wouldn't
have won without him. This fight spilled into the
streets, where protesters continued targeting Musk's
economic and political entanglements.
On Saturday, organizers scheduled 60 separate
demonstrations under the Tesla takedown banner.

(01:33):
The campaign, launched in February during Musk's tenure at
DOGE, urges Tesla owners to selltheir vehicles and shareholders
to liquidate their stakes. Demonstrations happened in
cities from Florida to Kentucky to Georgia, each one demanding
public accountability and rejection of what organizers
call Musk's grip on policy and technology.

(01:53):
Now, a protest outside of Tesla showroom in Washington, DC's
Georgetown neighborhood drew about 30 participants despite
rain and competition from Pride Month events.
Organizers attributed the lower turn out to weather, noting that
the previous weekend's event in Rockville, MD, brought in about
200 people. They insisted the message still

(02:14):
matters even when numbers fluctuate.
Protesters claim Musk's departure from DOGE changes
nothing above his overall influence.
Melissa Nutsen said that Musk going home with his tail between
his legs doesn't alter their goal.
She repeated the Group SCORE message.
People should sell their Teslas,divest their stock in protest

(02:37):
until Musk no longer holds any public power.
Now, they claim that opposing Musk is necessary to protect
democratic systems in public well-being.
Tesla's financial performance added momentum to this campaign,
and the company reported a 13% drop in vehicle deliveries in
Q1, which is the worst in its history.

(02:58):
Tesla stock fell 14% this week and remains 47% below with
December high. Now, these protesters have said
that seeing the stock fall boosted the morale at the
Israelis, reinforcing their belief that this kind of public
pressure is effective against Elon.
Now, Musk attributed the drop insales to weak consumer

(03:19):
confidence in a macroeconomic factors, but industry data shows
that other EV makers increased deliveries during the same
period. That contradiction strengthened
the resolve among demonstrators who blame Elon Musk's leadership
and behavior for Tesla struggles.
Organizers used Musk's departurefrom Doe's to launch another

(03:40):
protest push on social media. They announced that June 28th,
which is Elon Musk's birthday, they'll mark another day of
protests. They called the upcoming date a
recommitment and encourage people to rally even harder.
They reiterated that the movement is against the
consolidation of political and economic power in the hands of

(04:01):
just a few billionaires. Protesters also urged large
investment funds to drop Tesla shares.
Some cited a May letter from institutional investors to
Tesla's board that criticized management decisions and
corporate governance. Now these public and private
efforts from A2 pronged strategy, internal pressure and

(04:21):
internal financial disruption. Now that's to reduce Elon Musk's
overall influence. Longtime protesters say they see
no reason to back down. Jean Faris, who's attended her
fifth Tesla protest, believes Musk's influence remains strong
even without Doge. James Deckard said the
gatherings create a sense of motivation and community among

(04:43):
critics who want to resist what they see as Musk's control over
public priorities. Some see the Musk Trump conflict
as irrelevant to the broader protest school.
Donna Powell, who has participated in up to 60 anti
Trump rallies, described Musk and Trump as quote, billionaire
brats having a tiff quote. She dismissed the idea that

(05:06):
Trump supporters would shift their stance to join the
protests against Musk, suggesting the president's base
remains unmoved. Now, her husband, Don Powell,
argued that the rivalry between Trump and Musk won't last.
They predicted that both men will eventually reconcile
because their interests align. Protesters on the ground believe

(05:28):
that the underlying structures keeping people like Musk in
positions of power have not changed, even as political
alliances will shift. Some people think that the rift
between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump is simply a
distraction from something that's going on deeper in the

(05:48):
government. Is there something that they're
hiding? We don't really know, but that's
what some protesters believe. Maybe there's something going on
with DOGE that we shouldn't knowabout now.
Musk has not responded to inquiries about the protests or
his exit from DOGE from this podcast.
Neither has Tesla nor early Tesla takedown organizers now.

(06:10):
That silence has not stopped themovement, though.
Organizers say they are already planning the next round of
demonstrations and encourage supporters to take more
aggressive action before the next corporate earnings report.
Will you be there at the protests?
Let me know what you think. If your podcast platform has
comments, I want to hear it. Let's have a discussion about

(06:30):
this. Want to know what you think
about Elon Musk and if you have soured on the idea of Elon Musk,
That's a great conversation to have.
I know a lot of people have in my circle, and some people,
they're completely behind the guy.
So let me know what you think inthe comments on whatever podcast
platform you're on right now. Now the Tesla takedown protests

(06:53):
continue despite leadership changes and political infighting
because organizers believe that Musk's influence still poses a
huge direct threat to democraticpolicy and also market
integrity. What will happen at the next
Musk protest on his birthday? Will it be peaceful?

(07:16):
Will there be Tesla showrooms caught on fire again?
Just gonna have to wait and findout.
June 28th, Musk's birthday. Also on your podcast platform
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(07:39):
I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed the podcast, give us a
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We really need that right now. Hey, thank you so much for
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(08:00):
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