A wave of “Tesla Takedown” protests targeting Elon Musk's company took over the weekend of Musk, Doge and all parts of the grassroots campaign against the Trump administration. Now, Elon Musk and others have argued that the protests are the result of the Astroturf campaign funded and organized by Donald Trump's wealthy opponents.
Hundreds of protests erupted outside of Tesla locations in the US, Canada and Europe on Saturday as part of a coordinated “global day” against the electric car maker and its CEO Elon Musk. The protesters opposed the role of Musk, who led government efficiency, launched by the Trump administration to streamline federal agencies. In at least one case, violence occurred in the protest.
However, some have questioned whether the “Tesla Takedown” movement, which was billed by organizers as a grassroots campaign, is actually an example of “astroturfing.”
“Who's funding and organising all these paid protests?” Musk asked on X early Sunday morning, sharing a video clip of podcast host Joe Logan, speculating that anti-Tesla protesters could be compensated.
From the end of Saturday's demonstration, the “Tesla Takedown” effort was heavily promoted by left-leaning advocacy groups such as Action Network, MoveON and Indivisible. The group reportedly provided protesters with toolkits including scripted chants, printed signs and detailed “Engagement Rules.”
This top-down adjustment promoted the accusation that “grassroots” framing is merely a façade. “The protests from the local #teslatakedown may seem voluntary and community-driven, but they are the product of a wealthy, closely coordinated campaign led by national political organisations,” tweeted Asla Nomani, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who wrote about Astroturfing.
Other circumstantial evidence further surprised the allegations of fraud. In South Lake, Texas, protesters reportedly broke up quickly at noon, as if they were on their schedule. Photos from the Seattle rally appeared to show demonstrators holding sheets of pre-written chants.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News, which covers the issues of freedom of speech and online censorship.
