{"id":131543,"date":"2024-11-29T21:54:47","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T14:54:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=131543"},"modified":"2024-11-29T21:54:47","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T14:54:47","slug":"tesla-owners-turn-against-musk-im-embarrassed-driving-this-car-around-elon-musk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=131543","title":{"rendered":"Tesla owners turn against Musk: \u2018I\u2019m embarrassed driving this car around\u2019 | Elon Musk"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:500;\" class=\"dcr-15rw6c2\">A<\/span>s Elon Musk has embraced Donald Trump and various far-right conspiracy theories, he has left behind an aghast cohort of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/tesla\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Tesla<\/a> owners who suddenly feel embarrassed by their own cars. Many of them are now publicly displaying their dismay at Musk on their vehicles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Sales of anti-Musk stickers have boomed since the world\u2019s richest man declared his support for Trump and helped propel him to victory in the US presidential election, as owners of Teslas, the car brand headed by Musk, try to distance themselves from the South African-born multibillionaire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cSales have really spiked. The day after the election was the biggest day ever,\u201d said Matt Hiller, a Hawaii-based aquarium worker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.etsy.com\/shop\/MySweetiesCloset?ref=shop-header-name&amp;listing_id=1824257009&amp;from_page=listing\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">who sells a range of stickers online<\/a> that denounce Musk. \u201cPeople saw a billionaire supervillain buy his way into the administration and it rubbed them the wrong way.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"5b138c06-c5e2-4ae4-a0bc-c6c8e0ed2822\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-1your1i\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;richLinkIndex&quot;:3,&quot;element&quot;:{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Elon Musk has cozied into Trump\u2019s White House. How long will this bromance last? | Katrina vanden Heuvel&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;5b138c06-c5e2-4ae4-a0bc-c6c8e0ed2822&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;richLink&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2024\/nov\/22\/elon-musk-donald-trump&quot;},&quot;ajaxUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:10,&quot;display&quot;:2,&quot;theme&quot;:0}}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Hiller started the sticker range last year after deciding against buying a Tesla due to Musk\u2019s \u201camplifying of horrible people and silencing of others\u201d on X, formerly Twitter, another of his companies. Several hundred stickers a day are now being sold, primarily to Tesla owners, Hiller said, bearing texts such as \u201cAnti Elon Tesla Club\u201d or \u201cI Bought This Before Elon Went Crazy\u201d, or a picture of Musk in clown makeup with the words \u201cSpace Clown\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cPeople keep telling me that they feel they can drive their Teslas again with these stickers,\u201d said Hiller, who has had to set aside part of his house to accommodate the growing operation. Hiller devises slogans such as \u201cElon Ate My Cat\u201d, a reference to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/sep\/14\/racist-history-trump-pet-eating-immigrant\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a debunked falsehood<\/a> about migrants eating pets in Ohio, that are then sold on Etsy and Amazon. \u201cPeople are shaken up. It\u2019s a relief really to see they are awake,\u201d he said of the surging demand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Musk, who has an estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/profile\/elon-musk\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">wealth<\/a> of $314bn, was once considered an environmental hero and technology pioneer by many US liberals after turning Tesla into the most <a href=\"https:\/\/money.usnews.com\/investing\/articles\/the-10-most-valuable-auto-companies-in-the-world\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">valuable<\/a> car company in the world while warning that \u201cclimate change is the biggest threat that humanity faces this century, except for AI\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">But his reputation among electric vehicle-buying liberals curdled as he used X to trumpet far-right <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2024\/sep\/14\/elon-musk-tweets-trump-conspiracy\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">conspiracies<\/a>, fulminated about the \u201cwoke mind virus\u201d and enthusiastically promoted Trump, even appearing at the president-elect\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/elon-musk-donald-trump-rally-butler-election-f718967ec29431a2b9858b1121e70da1\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">rallies<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/nov\/12\/elon-musk-america-pac-donald-trump-campaign\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">funding<\/a> campaign operations for him in key battleground states.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"970e4255-334d-4c62-b220-465b9003d73c\" data-spacefinder-role=\"showcase\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-5h0uf4\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1pvqcrw\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Elon Musk and Donald Trump.<\/span> Photograph: Brandon Bell\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Musk is now intimately involved in Trump\u2019s incoming administration, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/nov\/12\/trump-appoints-elon-musk-government-efficiency-department\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">heading<\/a> a new \u201cDepartment of Government Efficiency\u201d that plans mass layoffs of US government workers. Some Tesla owners have been left horrified. \u201cI thought Elon was progressing our country, but he\u2019s turned out to be kind of an evil person. It\u2019s scary for someone with that sort of money to be so close to a politician,\u201d said Mika Houston, a gymnastics teacher in Las Vegas who has had a Tesla Model 3 for the past three years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cI still love my car, but I think about whether I\u2019m endorsing that sort of behavior when I drive it. I\u2019m embarrassed driving this car around after the election, thinking about the man behind it,\u201d said Houston, who has bought an \u201cAnti Elon Tesla Club\u201d magnet for her car and is mulling whether to sell it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Pamela Perkins, a photographer who lives in the Tesla heartland of California\u2019s Silicon Valley, has a Model Y but is among a group of friends who are all considering ditching their Teslas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cI\u2019m turning 80 in January so I thought I\u2019d have a sporty car that I could race anyone when the light turns green,\u201d Perkins said of her purchase. \u201cThere was a time I thought <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/elon-musk\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Elon Musk<\/a> was a genius but he went bad very quickly. I remember saying to my husband I should sell this car and send a message, for my own conscience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cA lot of people have asked if I\u2019m going to sell the car, I have a friend who was about to get a Tesla but decided not to because of him. But [Musk] doesn\u2019t care about us, he has bigger fish to fry. He wants to colonize Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">It\u2019s unclear whether this backlash against Musk will hurt Tesla, which remains the dominant electric car company in the US. Sales have struggled somewhat this year, with a 7% drop <a href=\"https:\/\/insideevs.com\/news\/735231\/ev-sales-q3-2024-tesla\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">forecast<\/a> in the latest quarter compared with the same period in 2023, although analysts put this down to increased competition from other car makers and a stale Tesla lineup that has little changed apart from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2019\/nov\/22\/cybertruck-tesla-unveils-the-pickup-truck-we-have-to-have\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">much-hyped Cybertruck<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cTesla isn\u2019t the only player in town now and they haven\u2019t been aggressive in putting new products out,\u201d said Stephanie Valdez Streaty, director of industry insights at Cox Automotive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cElon is Tesla: his persona definitely has an impact upon the perception of the brand, and he has been polarizing. I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve seen any impacts in sales because of this \u2013 yet. I do think this will happen, but it remains to be seen which consumers he attracts and which he loses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Another uncertainty is how Tesla will be affected by policies pursued by Trump. The incoming president has called the shift to electric cars \u201clunacy\u201d, said that supporters of such vehicles should \u201crot in hell\u201d and vowed to strip away incentives to purchase them. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/article\/2024\/aug\/05\/trump-endorses-electric-vehicles-elon-musk\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Trump has somewhat tempered his invective against electric vehicles<\/a> following Musk\u2019s endorsement but is still planning to remove a key tax credit for new buyers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">For now, though, there is a windfall for those selling anti-Musk merchandise. \u201cI feel like people really wanted to make their voices heard in some way, even as passive as it is,\u201d said Stacey Davis, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.etsy.com\/shop\/MySweetiesCloset?ref=shop-header-name&amp;listing_id=1824257009&amp;from_page=listing\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">who started selling Musk bumper stickers a year ago<\/a>. Davis, who has a Tesla, said she has had an 800% increase in sales of these bumper stickers on Etsy since the election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cElon started not aligning with what I believe in and he just started being really weird, extra,\u201d said Davis. \u201cAt first we\u2019re like, OK, he\u2019s just one of those eccentric types of people. But then when he went into his political stuff and I was like, oh no, this is not it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">With a Trump presidency looming over the US for the next four years, Musk\u2019s involvement is a bittersweet prospect for some sellers. \u201cI\u2019d be happy for him to disappear from public discourse and just be another rich guy,\u201d Hiller said. \u201cIf I never sell another Elon sticker that\u2019s fine. I\u2019d rather him just be gone for the country\u2019s sake and I can go back to making stickers of fish.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2024\/nov\/29\/tesla-owners-elon-musk\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Elon Musk has embraced Donald Trump and various far-right conspiracy theories, he has left behind an aghast cohort of Tesla owners who suddenly feel embarrassed by their own cars. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=131543\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=131543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131543\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=131543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=131543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=131543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}