Tesla Takedown: How Once-Beloved Elon Musk Became the Left’s New Villain

From tech titan to political pariah, self-made billionaire Elon Musk now finds himself at the center of America’s culture war.

Love him or hate him, Elon Musk is undeniably one of the greatest self-starters of all time. While Elon Musk's family had some initial financial resources, he is widely considered to have become a self-made billionaire through his business ventures and entrepreneurial efforts. He co-founded successful companies like Zip2, X.com (later PayPal), SpaceX, and Tesla. Collectively, these companies gainfully employ hundreds of thousands of workers. 

Until relatively recently, he would be considered by many—including many on the Left—a shining example of the American Dream. Perhaps even an archetypal American hero.

However, once he became associated with President Trump’s administration, the same progressive voters who scrambled to purchase newly-released Tesla models became his most fierce critics. 

Musk has previously described himself as a “moderate Democrat,” and was once a donor to President Barack Obama. Musk first began to support President Trump in the lead-up to his election in November 2024, though he claims that he first began having concerns about the state of the country as long as three years prior, when far-left Twitter (now X) was becoming overwhelmingly censored, affecting the free speech of users and altering their algorithms on the platform. He was also a harsh critic of Biden’s “radical-left” administration. Musk’s greatest concern if Biden had been elected was the issue of illegal immigration, as he came to the United States legally himself. He argued that, under a Democrat administration, these illegal immigrants would have unlawfully turned key swing states blue and pushed a one-party agenda. 

It was not until his purchase of X (formerly Twitter) that he began to publicly express more right-wing views. That eventually turned into an unequivocal endorsement of former President and then-candidate Donald Trump in 2024. Since appearing at campaign rallies to eventually being appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency initiative, Tesla’s popularity has plummeted among the eco-friendly and liberal demographic that previously purchased his vehicles, and across the nation Cybertrucks and various Tesla models are being vandalized—from being covered in spray paint with hate symbols to being burned to the ground in public parking lots. Such incidents are part of a nationwide movement dubbed the “Tesla Takedown,” the aim of which is—according to some activists—to “make [Musk] broke.”

He’s also been the subject of alleged defamation, unparalleled public scrutiny, and “baseless lawsuits.” That includes a series of statements which could be taken as threats, dogwhistles, and/or thinly-veiled incitements of violence. 

“On March 29, it’s my birthday, and all I want to see on my birthday is for Elon to be taken down,” said Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D).

“And you say that as Teslas are being blown up; as they’re putting graffiti and swastikas on random Teslas and going after charging stations and breaking windows at the showrooms,” Dave Rubin pointed out in his scathing reaction to the Congresswoman’s viral comments.

According to a poll done in April of this year by ABC News, in conjunction with The Washington Post and Ipsos, Musk’s approval ratings are, unsurprisingly, extremely low among Democrats and relatively high among Republicans. Only 4% of Democrats approve of both Musk and Trump’s work, compared to 32% among independents and 73% among Republicans. Authors of the poll have acknowledged that partisanship is a large factor in its findings. How could they not?

It’s anyone’s guess whether the “Tesla Takedown” and seemingly insurmountable public pressure plays a role in this decision, but Musk recently announced his exit from the Department of Government Efficiency to give greater focus on his other professional ventures. In a recent interview with Lara Trump, he has expressed that he does not regret anything about his time working with President Trump, whom he considers a friend: “I think it was essential for President Trump to win to ensure that America remained great, and that we reach greater heights.”

When asked to reflect on the past year and the vitriol from former supporters on the Left, Musk has suggested that he is surprised by the amount of violence aimed at Tesla vehicles and stores but remarks somewhat humorously "it's not been boring, that's for sure—an eventful year to say the least.” 

“At least I didn't get shot, you know. Look on the bright side,” Musk jokes. 

And despite the “relentless propaganda” that he and Trump have faced during their time working together, Musk remains committed to working with the current administration on the issues that matter to him the most—safeguarding national security, promoting public safety, and facilitating sensible spending and government transparency. Regardless of what one thinks about Musk personally, these are virtues that most Americans listed as top political priorities in the leadup to the 2024 election. 

Again, there is perhaps an argument to be made that Elon Musk is something of a hero—a self-made billionaire willing to put his personal capital and standing with the public on the line for a chance to make his nation safer, stronger, and more fiscally responsible. It isn’t Musk’s fault that the Obama and Biden administrations were not interested in working with him to see that come to fruition. Indeed, it would seem that in working with President Trump, Musk has inherited all of the President’s political opponents—left-of-center Americans who would otherwise jump at the chance to buy electric vehicles from an African American immigrant success story. There is little doubt that that remains the primary motivation behind the recent wave of anti-Musk sentiment. 

And perhaps that is also worth keeping in mind the next time you see a smoldering Cybertruck or a ravaged Tesla showroom on the news.