Over the weekend, Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly said he will get rid of his Tesla as soon as possible. The reason? The car is a constant reminder of Elon Musk, the carmaker’s owner and DOGE leader, and President Donald Trump.
“I don’t want to be driving the car built and designed by an asshole”, Kelly wrote on X, “I bought a Tesla because it was fast like a rocket ship. But now every time I drive it, I feel like a rolling billboard for a man dismantling our government and hurting people. So Tesla, you’re fired!”
“Every time I get in this car in the last 60 days or so, it reminds me of just how much damage Elon Musk and Donald Trump are doing to our country, talking about slashing social security, cutting healthcare benefits for poor people, for seniors”, the Senator added, “It’s one bad thing after the next. Musk is firing veterans. I’m a veteran.”
“So I think it’s time for an upgrade today”, Kelly finally said, “So this is going to be my last trip in this car. There’s some things I really liked about it. There are things I didn’t like about it, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is … doing the right thing. I think it’s time to get rid of it.”
Recently, Kelly and Musk had already been involved in a long-distance quarrel when the richest man in the world called the senator a “traitor” after the latter criticized Trump’s approach to the war in Ukraine and the country itself. “Traitor?” said Kelly at the time, “Elon, if you don’t understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do.”
Since Trump returned to the White House, Musk’s DOGE has been working to reduce federal spending in every way possible, drawing criticism from political rivals and insiders. The cuts promoted by the department have also affected Elon’s own companies, including Tesla, whose stock has plummeted.
What’s more, Musk has been the target of numerous protesters expressing their anger against the world’s richest man and the Trump administration. Some of the company’s outlets and several cars have been vandalized, with Musk missing no opportunity to compare these actions to the Kristallnacht of 1938 in Hitler’s Germany.
Yet, less than two months ago it was he himself who gave the Nazi salute on stage in Washington DC.
