(Image Credit: IMAGN) Over 300 people gathered for a second protest of demonstrators and supporters that congregated on the University Parkway sidewalk near UTC's Tesla store in Sarasota on Saturday, March 15, 2025. They were/are protesting Elon Musk, DOGE, and the new government overreach called a #TESLATAKEDOWN mirroring state-wide and national protests that are working to hold government officials and the newly created Department of Government Efficiency run by tech billionaire Elon Musk, accountable for the changes taking place under Donald Trump's second administration.
Encinitas, California – Hundreds of protestors rallied outside Tesla showrooms across the United States on Saturday, including one boycott in Encinitas where demonstrators held signs reading “boycott Tesla” and “save social security.” Why protest? These demonstrators have a clear and strong disapproval of CEO Elon Musk’s involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and his efforts to reduce federal spending. The “Tesla Takedown” movement, which organized the demonstrations, aims to pressure investors to divest from Tesla and encourage electric vehicle owners to abandon the brand.
Approximately 80 protests occurred nationwide on Saturday alone, with locations including Washington, D.C., Boston, and various other cities. The “Tesla Takedown” website urges supporters to “Sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines. Hurting Tesla is stopping Musk,” and further asserts, “Stopping Musk will help save lives and our democracy. The stakes couldn’t be higher. No one is coming to save us—not politicians, not the media.”
The demonstrations reflect growing concern over Musk’s advisory role to the administration, particularly his support for proposed cuts to programs like Social Security and healthcare benefits. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) publicly announced his decision to dispose of his Tesla, criticizing its association with Musk. “Every time I get in this car in the last 60 days or so, it reminds me of just how much Elon Musk and the administration is doing to our country. Talking about slashing Social Security, cutting health care benefits for poor people, for seniors. It’s one bad thing after the next,” Kelly stated in a video posted on X. Musk’s advocacy to close the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are also cited as points of deep contention.
Musk’s frequent appearances on the South Lawn, including a recent event showcasing Tesla vehicles alongside the administration, have drawn scrutiny regarding the ethical implications of his close ties to the administration. This event in particular spurred responses from individuals who felt as if the Tesla company was given a preferential treatment. Meanwhile, Trump said of Tesla, “I mean, nobody else has a car company started up in the last 30 years that’s been successful, I don’t think so. But because he’s finding all sorts of terrible things that have taken place against our country, we want to penalize him in an economic sense. And I just think that’s very unfair. So I just wanted to make a statement. I’m going to buy one now.”
The Encinitas protest, organized by Tesla Takedown and co-sponsored by local groups such as Swing Left/Take Action San Diego, The Democratic Club of Carlsbad and Oceanside, and Indivisible 49, opposed “funding cuts and actions” that they say threaten essential services. The overall movement asked, through their website and organization actions, citizens to “sell your Teslas, dump your stock, and stop Musk now.”
