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Donald Trump shares thoughts on Elon Musk’s DOGE step back

The U.S. President also noted that Musk is a great patriot, and that the people who attack Teslas are “sick.”

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Credit: Elon Musk/X

During Tesla’s first quarter earnings call, CEO Elon Musk announced that starting in May, he would be stepping back from the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) daily operations. 

Musk’s comments were received positively by TSLA investors, resulting in the company’s stock rising despite Tesla missing Q1 expectations.

Musk’s Comments

In his opening remarks at the Tesla Q1 2025 earnings call, Musk acknowledged that there has been some blowback to Tesla due to his activities at DOGE. And while he believes that the protests against Tesla are very organized and likely paid for, he also noted that it is time for him to allocate more of his time to Tesla. 

“Starting probably next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly… I’ll be allocating probably more of my time to Tesla now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done,” Musk noted.

Trump’s Response

Considering Musk’s comments, it was no surprise that United States President Donald Trump was asked about the CEO’s impending step back from DOGE. Trump stated that he “can’t speak more highly about any individual,” and that Elon Musk has contributed a lot to the administration due to his work with DOGE. The president highlighted, however, that the backlash against Tesla has been extremely unfair. 

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“I also know that he was treated very unfairly by the, I guess he called the public, by some of the public, not by all of it. He makes an incredible car. Everything he does is good, but they took it out on Tesla, and I just thought it was so unfair, because he’s trying to help the country, but he has helped the country,” Trump stated.

The U.S. President also noted that Musk is a great patriot, and that the people who attack Teslas are “sick.” Trump also praised Elon Musk’s initiatives, stating that all the CEO’s projects are great, from Starlink to Neuralink to SpaceX to Tesla.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

Elon Musk

Tesla fends off new attack that will hurt consumers more than anyone else

Consumers stand to be hurt the most by a new bill that aims to take away Tesla’s Direct-to-Consumer licensing

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is likely going to be forced to fend off a new attack that is much different than the petty vandalism, arson, and domestic terrorism it has faced from those who oppose the company and its CEO Elon Musk. It would hurt consumers more than anyone else.

Over the past several months, we have reported numerous instances of vandalism against Tesla. No victim is too big or too small to be a potential target, as everything from keying vehicles to having Molotov cocktails thrown at showrooms is sufficient in the eyes of perpetrators.

However, the latest attack appears to be politically motivated and could hurt Tesla, its consumers, and even other automakers, and it seems to be some form of retaliation against Musk due to his affiliation with President Trump.

The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

President Donald J. Trump purchases a Tesla on the South Lawn, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

Lawmakers in New York state are now attempting to shut down Tesla showrooms in a move that would force the company to sell through dealer franchises, complicating the sales process and making the direct-to-consumer platform the company has used for years obsolete.

The New York Times reported that New York State Sen. Patricia Fahy is one of several lawmakers that is looking to hit Tesla where it hurts the most: its accessible and stress-free showrooms.

The problem is that this will hurt consumers more than Tesla.

Sen. Fahy said in March that the ease-of-sales platform Tesla uses has to be taken “from Elon Musk,” because “he’s part of an effort to go backwards.”

The licenses Tesla uses in the state allow it to sell cars directly to consumers instead of going through the traditional dealership model. These licenses, in Sen. Fahy’s perfect world, would be revoked from Tesla and given to other EV manufacturers. At one time, she was a proponent of Tesla and supported the company operating its D2C sales, stating it would cut emissions.

Now, Sen. Fahy believes Musk’s association with the Trump Administration is counterintuitive, as she says it is “killing all the grant funding for electric vehicle infrastructure, killing wind energy, killing anything that might address climate change.”

Tesla could face New York store ban under this legislation

She continued by stating:

“The bottom line is, Tesla has lost their right to promote these when they’re part of an administration that wants to go backwards. Elon Musk was handed a privilege here.”

The bill is with the Senate and Assembly Finance committees.

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Tesla Takedown group takes victory lap and aims for Starlink and SpaceX

Following Tesla’s Q1 2025 results, which were below expectations, the Tesla Takedown group celebrated.

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Credit: Tesla

The Tesla Takedown movement has taken a victory lap following the release of the electric vehicle maker’s first quarter 2025 earnings. With the group feeling encouraged by its results with the EV maker, Tesla Takedown is now setting its sights at Elon Musk’s other ventures, such as Starlink and SpaceX.

Because high-speed and reliable satellite internet for people in remote areas and the most affordable spaceflight provider for the United States need to be damaged, it seems.

Tesla Takedown’s Victory Lap

Following Tesla’s Q1 2025 results, which were below expectations, the Tesla Takedown group celebrated. “Today’s earnings report sends a very clear message. The Tesla Takedown grassroots pressure is beginning to hit Tesla where it hurts – the company’s bottom line,” the group noted.

Of course, the fact that Tesla did not sell its best-selling car for the majority of the first quarter due to the new Model Y changeover was conveniently left out by the group.

Nevertheless, in a comment to Insider, Tesla Takedown noted that its post-earnings email had an open rate of 53%, far above the 30% open rate of its previous emails. It also noted that it saw more than 30 new anti-Tesla protests added to its Action Network page within about 24 hours of the Q1 earnings’ release. Lastly, its BlueSky follower count rose by 10% to 15%, far above its weekly social media growth of 5%.

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New Targets Acquired

Despite its name, Tesla Takedown is really more like an anti-Elon Musk group. Thus, it was no surprise that in a statement, the group noted that it is now setting its sights on Musk’s other ventures. As per Tesla Takedown, it is already making preparations for similar efforts against the CEO’s other ventures, such as SpaceX and Starlink. 

“Tesla Takedown has already started laying the groundwork to expand Tesla Takedown efforts to target other Musk businesses including SpaceX, Starlink, X and xAI,” the Tesla Takedown group noted.

Considering the absence of the Model Y in most of Q1 2025, Tesla Takedown’s alleged effects on the company and Elon Musk’s alleged brand damage could be determined more accurately this quarter. This Q2, after all, none of Tesla’s vehicles are paused, and the company seems determined to sell as many cars as possible.

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Kia gains Tesla Supercharger access and issues a big apology

Kia gained Tesla Supercharger access and respect from Tesla fans in the same day.

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Kia EV6, EV9 and Niro Owners Gain Access to Over 21,500 Tesla Superchargers

Kia has announced that owners of the EV6, EV9, and Niro EVs have officially gained access to over 21,500 Tesla Supercharger locations in North America.

However, its announcement also contained an apology to Tesla.

First, Kia said that its three EV offerings will have access to Tesla’s expansive Supercharger Network. More than 40,000 DC fast chargers are available to Kia EV drivers, a major uptick as Tesla Supercharger access nearly doubles the number of accessible piles.

Sean Yoon, President of Kia North America and Kia America, said:

“Kia is committed to an exceptional ownership experience, and expanding the network of available DC fast chargers to our EV customers is an important component to maintaining the brand’s leadership in electrified mobility. Now, with access to the Tesla Supercharger network of DC fast chargers, our EV owners can feel even more confident in their decision to purchase or lease a fully electric Kia vehicle.”

Kia owners who have a CCS1 Charging Port will have access to an NACS adapter through dealerships. This will enable compatibility, as current inlets are not NACS, the port that Tesla utilizes.

However, Kia will eliminate the need for this adapter starting with the 2025 EV6 and 2026 EV9. These will come standard with NACS inlets.

We mentioned Kia included somewhat of an apology to Tesla, which is related to social media posts from “certain Nordic distributors,” as the company puts it:

Kia said in its announcement:

Kia America is aware of marketing posts by certain Nordic distributors. These initiatives were developed entirely independently by those distributors, without direction from Kia AmericaKia Europe or Kia Global. We want it to be clear that these posts do not reflect the position of Kia America, and we remain committed to clear and professional communication that reflects our values.”

The company also said that it “condemns the recent attacks that disrupt the availability of convenient and affordable charging for our customers.”

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