Musk Crashes Tesla Empire: Stock Down, Protests Up, Ratings Plummet
The Tesla Takedown, Stock crash, and Republican backlash -- how Musk’s government power grab is backfiring spectacularly.
It turns out that Elon Musk can’t just meme his way out of this one.
Once the golden boy of Silicon Valley, Musk’s empire is cracking under the weight of his own political ambitions—and the numbers prove it. Tesla’s stock is in freefall, protests are mounting, and his favorability ratings have cratered, especially among Republicans. The so-called “Tesla Takedown” isn’t just an activist movement anymore; it’s an economic reckoning, with Musk himself as the architect of his own decline.
From Electric Messiah to Political Pariah
There was a time—pre-DOGE—when Musk was hailed as an eccentric genius, a man of big ideas and even bigger promises. Sure, he played footsie with the far right, but Tesla fans and investors could justify it. After all, he was the guy making electric cars cool and pushing humanity toward Mars.
Then came January 2025, when Trump handed him the keys to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), instantly turning Musk from a quirky billionaire into a government hatchet man. It took mere weeks for DOGE to unleash mass firings across federal agencies, with thousands of workers—including veterans and law enforcement officers—abruptly shown the door.
At first, Republican voters cheered him on. After all, who doesn’t love a little government waste-cutting? But then the reality of Musk’s reckless, unsparing job purge hit home, particularly in Trump-friendly states like West Virginia. Entire communities dependent on government employment were left scrambling, and suddenly, Elon wasn’t so popular anymore.
Polling data from YouGov shows Republican support for Musk’s influence in government dropping from 47% to just 26%. That’s a 21-point collapse in just a matter of weeks. Meanwhile, an AP-NORC poll found that 40% of respondents disapprove of DOGE, compared to just 33% who approve.
So much for his master plan.
The Protests That Crashed Tesla’s Stock
Musk’s decline isn’t just political; it’s financial, too. His most consumer-facing company, Tesla, is taking the biggest hit. Since Musk went full MAGA bureaucrat, Tesla’s stock has plummeted 34% in 2025 alone, wiping out nearly $700 billion in market value. The company is facing a massive sales slump, with February EV sales down 49% in China, 76% in Germany, and 44% in France and Spain.
Enter the "Tesla Takedown" movement. Furious about Musk’s role in the federal government, activists have launched relentless protests outside Tesla showrooms, urging buyers to take their money elsewhere. The demonstrations have gone viral, featuring everything from mariachi bands outside dealerships to cardboard Cybertrucks as makeshift protest signs.
And it’s working. Reports indicate that Tesla’s foot traffic is way down, and the boycott message is spreading. Even the American Federation of Teachers is pressuring pension funds to divest from Tesla, citing the stock’s 23% profit decline and Musk’s growing toxicity.
Read our analysis regarding Musk’s EV hypocrisy here:
A Billionaire With No Escape Route
Musk’s other ventures—SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company—remain relatively insulated from consumer backlash, thanks to their reliance on government contracts and private investors. However, Tesla and X (formerly Twitter) are different stories.
X, which has already suffered massive advertiser boycotts, is also bleeding users. Since Musk joined DOGE, the platform has seen a 30% drop in active users and a 38% decline in app downloads. More importantly, subscription revenue—his grand plan to replace ad money—has stagnated.
Musk is now staring down a perfect storm of corporate and personal collapse. Tesla is faltering. His public image is in shambles. Even the Republicans who once idolized him are backing away. And all of it started the moment he stepped into Trump’s White House.
If there’s one thing Musk has always been good at, it’s branding. But no amount of Twitter shitposting can rebrand the brutal reality of his failures. The Tesla Takedown isn’t just a movement. It’s the consequence of a billionaire who thought he could rule without accountability.
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Bibliography:
“Tesla’s stock has plummeted, erasing $700 billion in market value” New York Post (March 7, 2025) https://nypost.com/2025/03/07/business/tesla-stock-drop-erases-700b-in-gains-since-trump-election/
“Elon Musk blames billionaires George Soros, Reid Hoffman for Tesla protests, citing unnamed ‘investigation’” Forbes (March 8, 2025) https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/03/08/elon-musk-dubiously-blames-billionaires-george-soros-reid-hoffman-over-tesla-protests-citing-unnamed-investigation/
“Tesla showroom protests spread as backlash against Elon Musk intensifies” Business Insider (March 6, 2025) https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-showroom-protests-boycott-elon-musk-doge-cybertruck-ev-2025-3
“Stock of the Day: Tesla drops as China-made EV sales plunge 49%” Markets Insider (March 5, 2025) https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-stock-price-sell-off-china-ev-sales-europe-byd-2025-3
“How Americans view Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg” Pew Research Center (February 19, 2025) https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/02/19/how-americans-view-elon-musk-and-mark-zuckerberg/
“Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn, Elon Musk and why he’s decided not to leave America” The Times (UK) (February 23, 2025) https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/linkedin-founder-reid-hoffman-ive-had-threats-of-violence-since-musk-slanders-nfclq2s0r
“DOGE job cuts bring pain to Trump heartland” Reuters (March 7, 2025) https://www.reuters.com/world/us/doge-job-cuts-shake-trump-voting-west-virginia-town-2025-03-07/
“Trump reins in Musk after Doge sacking spree upsets rivals and allies” The Times (UK) (March 6, 2025) https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/donald-trump-elon-musk-doge-scalpel-hatchet-xw8kxfrm3
“Elon Musk’s Ego Sure to Get Massive Blow from Stunning Poll Results” New Republic (February 24, 2025) https://newrepublic.com/post/191244/elon-musk-popularity-polls
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He lost a 7 billion over 5 year contract. A Latino oligarch type out of Mexico said No Thank You!
The American government should be ashamed of themselves for keeping their contracts with this loser. All these contracts need to end including with China 🇨🇳 ending their contracts, too. That will help finish ✅️ him. He wasn't counting on seeing the world go against him and that's the beauty of it. LOL.. He didn't plan on HUMANITY going against him. That's how arrogant and narcissistic he is. The world 🌎 must continue punishing all these evil billionaire oligarchs because together we can properly end up. And if not completely l, then a great deal. 📉🪓 Let's go, folks. As you all can see WE DO HAVE THE POWER. ✊️👊💪💙🩵💙🩵💙🩵💙🩵💙🩵💙🇺🇸💙🇺🇸💙🩵🇺🇸🗽