Protests Erupt at Tesla Dealerships Over Musk’s Government Role

In a nationwide demonstration, Tesla dealerships became the focal point of protests against Elon Musk, who has recently assumed a new role in a Trump administration agency. On Saturday, demonstrators gathered to express their discontent with Musk’s actions as head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

In Ann Arbor, a crowd exceeding 50 individuals braved the sleet to rally outside the Tesla showroom on Jackson Avenue, brandishing signs that conveyed their frustrations. Inside, a lone Tesla salesperson observed the protest without engaging.

Critics argue that Musk is undermining the federal government by implementing extensive layoffs, disregarding civil service labor rights, and unlawfully freezing substantial federal funds earmarked for research, education, and climate initiatives.

“So let’s hurt him in the pocketbook,” declared Susan Fecteau, a protestor. “People should boycott everything Tesla. Boycott the solar batteries. We need to make sure he can’t profit off of what they’re doing to destroy our democracy.”

Fecteau, who initiated a solitary protest two weeks prior, was encouraged by the turnout and expressed hope that more would join the cause, encouraging action at Tesla outlets nationwide.

Among the protestors was Peter Haderlein, who shared that he lost his job at a carbon sequestration company following a funding freeze by DOGE on a Department of Energy grant. “The grant was supposed to help us make payroll, and when the funding freeze happened, they fired a third of the company,” Haderlein explained. Furthermore, his wife’s educational research projects faced abrupt cancellations due to a halt in Department of Education funding.

State Representative Carrie Rheingans commented on the atypical nature of the protest, noting that dissatisfaction with government actions has led people to demonstrate against a private business owned by an influential billionaire rather than in front of government offices.

Tesla’s response to the protest was muted, with the salesperson on-site choosing not to comment, and inquiries sent to the company’s press team remaining unanswered.