Tech billionaire and Trump supporter Elon Musk is facing difficult times ahead after it was revealed that Tesla sales have plummeted to their lowest level in three years, with a backlash against his involvement with the Trump administration blamed as the cause.
Musk’s support for Trump has proved to be toxic for his business interests, as progressives hit back. It was recently reported that Tesla sales have slumped in Europe during January, with Elon Musk’s ‘toxic influence’ on the brand being blamed as among the reasons why.
Musk who has been rewarded for spending $250 million on Trump’s campaign for the White House with a role in his administration, has been widely condemned in recent months for his support for far-right parties in Europe as well as attempted interference in the elections of other countries.
According to the latest figures reported by the BBC, the electric car maker delivered almost 337,000 electric vehicles in the first three months of 2025, a 13% drop from a year ago. Tesla shares also tumbled in early trading on Wednesday after the release of the low sales numbers.
“These numbers suck,” early Tesla investor Ross Gerber of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management wrote on X. He went on to add: “The brand is broken and may not be fixable.”
Protests have also taken place outside Tesla dealerships across the US and Europe in recent months, in response to Elon Musk’s efforts to shred government spending under the president, Donald Trump and support for his right-wing policies.
In the U.S., protesters gathered outside the carmaker’s showrooms in cities including New York, Seattle, Kansas City and across California, with many of those taking part carrying placards likening the Trump administration to Nazis.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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