Dad-of-two Mitchell Feldman, 53, bought his first Tesla – a £65k Model Y – in 2022.
He said he fell in love with the technology and safety features of the car.
Marketing business owner Mitchell said he would get the odd comment about being a Tesla driver but nothing out of the ordinary.
This was until Elon Musk was announced as the man who would be leading Donald Trump’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency.
Mitchell said he has received a ton of emails – through his company website – threatening him and his family.
Two weeks ago, Mitchell was in a carpark when a man walked up to him, laughed in his face, and asked if he “supported Elon’ by driving a Tesla”.
Despite the barrage of comments, Mitchell said his support for Tesla remains “steadfast” and is planning on putting in an order for a new Model Y.
Mitchell, from north west London, said: “I have had everything from quite severe hate mail, people saying that when they find me they will kill me and my family in front of me.
“I’ve had a number of people saying that I’m brave, that I am saying what everyone else is thinking.
“But I have been completely shocked by the reaction I have received.
“There’s a massive polarization in views, there are those that admire Elon Musk, and there are those that don’t.
“There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground, it is very binary.”
Mitchell used to drive an Aston Martin DB11sports car before switching to Tesla in March 2022.
He said he bought a Tesla because he “loved” the technology behind the vehicle.
Mitchell said: “The thing that drove me to Tesla was the technology.
“It was the technology and the safety aspects of the vehicle that was a massive appeal to me at the time.
“I had a sports car before, which didn’t have native integration into my phone.
“It didn’t have a touch screen, it wasn’t intuitive, and Tesla, I like the look of it.
“The appeal was the technology, and I am a technologist, so there was that appeal of having that association with Elon Musk.”
Initially, Mitchell said the comments he would receive were “no surprise you’ve got a Tesla being a geek” but nothing out of the ordinary.
But after Elon Musk was tapped to lead DOGE things changed.
Mitchell said: “I knew there was a discourse around the work he had been involved in with DOGE.
“But I never realised that people associated the art with the artist.”
On March 6, 2025, Mitchell was at a Teddy Swims concert in Wembley when he parked his Tesla in the car park.
He said he could see a young man pointing at him and laughing which made him feel “violated”.
Mitchell said: “I parked outside the parking metre, as I pulled up, there was a youngish guy with his partner, and daughter laughing and pointing at me.
“When I got out of the car, he came up to be quite abrasive and said ‘I presume you support Elon Musk driving one of those’.
“I felt quite violated, I didn’t know what to say. He then laughed at me and walked away with his family.
“I had never experienced anything like that.”
Mitchell then wrote a post about his experience on LinkedIn where he received more backlash and death threats as a result.
Despite the hate he has received, Mitchell has no intentions of getting rid of his Tesla and is planning on ordering the new Model Y.
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Mitchell said: “I found out that the new model Y is available in the UK, and I will be ordering a new one.
“I am waiting for a phone call from Elon Musk to say thank you for the post and here is a free Cyber Truck.
“If anything, it has made me more steadfast in my support.”
