Musk, Trump and Tesla sticker rebellion

Mohamed Badereldin , Tuesday 4 Feb 2025

Photos featuring bumper stickers on the back of Tesla cars have been trending on social media outlets as Americans voice their dissatisfaction with the increasingly polarizing billionaire Elon Musk.

Tesla

 

The bumper stickers predominantly display phrases such as “Bought it before we knew how awful he is,” “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy,” and perhaps the most creative “Elon ate my cat.”

The bumper stickers have become smash hits on Amazon, with some iterations ranking third on the website’s bestseller list. 

They are especially trending following Musk's controversial moves during and after Donald Trump's inauguration. 

According to American media outlet Heatmap, Matthew Hiller, who owns the Hawaii-based seller of the bumper stickers, said that sales have skyrocketed following the election. 

Tesla cars, now the politicized bulletin boards of their owners, are one of the leading electric vehicle manufacturers in the American market. In the third quarter of 2024, its three main models were the sector's bestsellers.

 

 

Elon Musk is currently the wealthiest man in the world, with a net worth of more than $400 billion. 

Musk, who leads the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is increasingly involved in politics and public relations in the White House's new administration.

His views and support of Trump have become increasingly controversial. Support and condemnation of the billionaire usually fall along political lines, with Democrats and liberals denouncing some of his provocative actions. 

The American public’s views on Musk have drastically shifted due to his changing politics. A poll by American news outlet NBC revealed that negative opinions on Musk climbed to 75 percent in September 2024 from 21 percent in 2021.

Elon and politics
 

Musk’s page on the social media platform X contains a wide range of political views. These include arguments against federal government employees and bureaucrats, conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 virus, denunciations of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and advertisements for his companies. 

The billionaire’s stance has been increasingly shifting to the far right after having admitted to voting for Democrats in the past, including Joe Biden in 2020, Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Barack Obama in 2012 and 2008, respectively.

Musk self-identifies as a libertarian. Libertarianism is a political philosophy that values freedom above all else. Libertarians believe in a constrained government that limits spending and cannot regulate markets.

The billionaire argues that as the Democratic party moved further to the left, he grew estranged from them until he eventually donned a Make America Great Again (MAGA) cap and stood next to Trump.

 


File Photo: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. AP

 

Upon realigning himself with the Trumpist agenda, Musk started engaging with white supremacists online. He went so far as to advocate for the "Great Replacement Theory," which argues that Jews are trying to usurp the white race in the Global North.

Additionally, Musk, a naturalized American himself, adamantly supports Trump in his crusade against immigrants.

The only caveat for Musk is those on H-1B visas, which are granted mainly to skilled labour. These visas, which have been likened to “indentured servitude” for more than a decade, work in favour of Musk and Trump’s tech companies as they mostly employ foreigners. 

Musk supported Trump by attending rallies, speaking on his behalf, and performing general clownfoolery on stage. He also contributed $277 million to help the Republican conservative win back the White House.

The crowning moment of this effort was Trump’s inauguration event when Elon Musk swung his right arm across his chest and raised it upward. The move was condemned by some who described it as a “Nazi salute,” while others dismissed it as a “clumsy” or “awkward" gesture.

 


A snapshot of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gesturing as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. AP.
 

A billionaire with the president’s ear
 

Musk heads the DOGE, which, despite its name, is only an advisory committee to the US executive branch. According to the executive order that founded it, the advisory committee aims at “modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”

Critics argue that, given Musk’s libertarianism, this means firing federal employees and bureaucrats, especially considering the aim of cutting $500 billion in annual government expenditures. 

Additionally, American media outlets now describe Musk’s actions as a "takeover of federal government infrastructure."

According to American news outlet WIRED, six engineers aged 19-24, one of whom is reportedly still completing university studies, now play vital roles in government and have access to the state’s databases and records.

The advisory committee has also gained access to the Treasury Department’s databases. According to the Associated Press, this includes data on Social Security programmes and Medicare customer payment systems.

Musk is also a proponent of dismantling USAID and has voiced these demands to Trump.

“With regards to the USAID stuff, I went over it with [the president] in detail, and he agreed that we should shut it down,” the DOGE head said in a live stream on X Spaces. 

 

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