If there is one name that has dominated recent news cycles, it’s Elon Musk.
The South African billionaire and owner of enterprises such as Tesla and SpaceX, previously a footnote within political coverage, became active within the political arena in March 2024 after he began vocally supporting now-President Donald Trump in his bid for a second term.
After the 2024 presidential election, Musk was famously named the head of the new Department of Government Efficiency, a body that was made with the goal of cutting over $1 trillion in government spending. As of March 24, DOGE claims to have saved over $130 billion in funding from a variety of government agencies, with only about $7.7 billion of that being able to be verified.
These cuts, along with other forms of right-wing advocacy, have made Musk quite the controversial figure. While 46% of Americans said that they liked the idea of DOGE, in the same poll, just 39% of Americans held a positive view of Musk.
In turn, Musk’s largely negative public image impacts the reputation and overall viability of the companies that he owns.
Tesla is currently in hot water, as sales plummeted by over 50,000 cars within the first three months of this year. That represents a 13% decrease in overall sales for a manufacturer accustomed to quarterly sales growth between 20% and 100%.
Even Tesla’s current dire financial straits are now increasingly political. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz joked that he enjoyed watching Tesla’s stock price drop on his phone.
“I don’t know if some of you know this, on the iPhone, they’ve got that little stock app,” Walz said. “I added Tesla to it to give me a little boost during the day.”
Dan Myers, an associate professor in the University of Minnesota’s department of political science, said that most large brands, especially brands that are so closely associated with a specific person, try to avoid politics at all costs.
“In general, mass market brands try to avoid political entanglement for the simple reason that you don’t want to irritate half of your customer base,” Myers said.
Ella Hanhan, a third-year student at the University, said she had some hope for Tesla originally, but her opinion of the car brand tanked as Musk got involved in politics.
“But Tesla overall, it was a decent idea, an energy-based car,” Hanhan said. “I mean, the manufacturing isn’t that environmentally friendly, but the idea behind it was.”
Unfortunately for the brand, the novelty of Tesla’s cars has largely worn off. The manufacturer, once the undisputed leader of the electric vehicle industry, is now facing large pressure from other automotive manufacturers who are eating into Tesla’s market share.
The loss of market dominance, combined with the latest in a series of recalls of Tesla vehicles and Musk’s controversial politics, paint a grim future for the once-booming electric vehicle brand.
Myers said Musk’s public image was much more positive and associated with technological innovation until quite recently, when he decided to get into politics.
“So, if you go back even a couple of years, obviously there was some backlash against Musk from the left just because of his extreme amount of wealth, but he really had a very different public image,” Myers said. “The way that that’s changed in the past year is remarkable, and almost entirely, you could say, Musk’s choice.”
Hanhan said she has noticed the public’s image of Musk shift the more he gets into politics and governance, especially with his touted budget cuts as the head of DOGE.
“There’s just been a collapse in him being viewed as this genius,” Hanhan said. “Instead, it’s more of him sticking his nose in everybody’s business.”
Even owning a Tesla has become divisive in our current political environment. Some celebrities, including actress Bette Middler and singer Sheryl Crow, have sold their Teslas to express their displeasure with Musk’s politics.
Walz said Tesla owners are not necessarily at fault for buying the car while also still making a joke about the brand’s public image.
“So, and if you own one, we’re not blaming you,” Walz said.”You can take dental floss and pull the Tesla thing off.”
Noah Olson, a third-year student at the University, said his opinion of Tesla as a brand has not been impacted by the political actions of Musk.
“At least for me, I think it’s easy to separate the brand and him,” Olson said. “I don’t see that he’s putting any political propaganda into his brand or his cars, so I guess it’s easy for me to look at it as a brand, and then there’s Elon.”
Hanhan said she doesn’t think Musk and Tesla are separable due to the abnormally active role that Musk took in the branding and shaping of the car manufacturer’s public image.
“He was the figurehead of the company,” Hanhan said. “You thought Tesla, you thought Musk, and I think that involvement is the reason why there is so much backlash.”
Backlash against Musk’s politics is not just limited to the U.S., either. Largely due to his vocal support of far-right parties in Europe (including Germany’s AfD), Tesla’s sales in Europe have declined almost 50% despite the industry growing by almost 30%.
Both Tesla’s cars and dealerships have also been the targets of vandalism and arson in Europe and the U.S., speaking to the profound outrage against Musk and his politics.
Olson said while he doesn’t hold Musk’s actions against Tesla, he would be less inclined to buy a Tesla if he ever had the opportunity.
“I feel like if I were to buy a Tesla, maybe that would be sort of like giving support to him,” Olson said. “I don’t know, it’s a hard thing.”
Myers said that despite rumors circulating about Musk separating from the Trump administration, Tesla’s image will not immediately be saved if he does leave politics.
“I think if that happens, there will be a pretty long memory,” Myers said. “Maybe in five or 10 years people will have forgotten, but it’s gonna be a while.”
Very few brands have become so politically divisive in just a few years. After years of financial success and domination of the electric vehicles market, it is clear to see that Tesla’s image very much lives or dies with Musk.
Given the prominence of Musk’s actions within politics and government, buying a Tesla today could be seen as a declaration of your political loyalties. Whether that affects your choice to buy one or not is up to you.
So, if you’re in the market for an electric vehicle, you may want to ask yourself a question — am I okay with bringing the car equivalent of a political banner out with me in public in today’s charged political climate?