With Many Running Away From Musk’s Teslas, Jerusalem Says Sell to Us

While Europe boycotts Tesla over chief executive Elon Musk’s political activities, the electric vehicle company appears to have found an ally in Jerusalem, which is urging Tesla to submit a bid to provide vehicles to Israeli government officials. “We aren’t going to bow to woke trends,” a senior Israeli official told Jewish News Syndicate on Thursday. “A car is a car is a car. And a great car is a great car is a great car.” The official continued: “Teslas are great cars and we look forward to studying their bid.” Prime Minister Netanyahu appeared to confirm the report by sharing a link to the article on his X account. Mr. Musk expressed his gratitude by commenting: “much appreciated.” It’s not surprising that the Israeli prime minister came out to support the billionaire businessman, who Mr. Netanyahu once described as “a great friend of Israel.” Earlier this year, Mr. Netanyahu came to the billionaire businessman’s defense after he was accused of performing a Nazi salute during the inauguration, declaring on X that Mr. Musk was being “falsely smeared.” The prime minister further noted that Mr. Musk visited Israel after the October 7 massacre and has “repeatedly and forcefully supported Israel’s right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and regimes who seek to annihilate the one and only Jewish state.” The news comes as Tesla’s popularity has plummeted both in America and abroad as the car company’s founder and head, Mr. Musk, has drawn controversy over his political biddings. At home, there have been protests over Musk’s efforts to slash government spending through his so-called Department of Government Efficiency and his outspoken support for President Trump. American politicians are getting in on the action too. Arizona Senator Mark Kelly announced on Friday morning that he was getting rid of his Tesla because it reminds him of Elon Musk, who “kind of turned out to be an asshole. And I don’t want to be driving a car that’s built and designed by an asshole,” Kelly proclaimed in a video on X. “So looking forward to my new ride,” he added.Abroad, frustrations grew over Mr. Musk’s interference in European elections and his rhetoric regarding the war in Ukraine. In Germany — where Mr. Musk fiercely lobbied during recent elections in favor of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party — sales through the first two months of the year slid by 71 percent. Tesla sales in France dropped during the same period by 44 percent. The two countries hold the largest electric vehicle markets in the European Union.The backlash, however, extends beyond financial boycotts. Tesla vehicles, charging stations, and showrooms have been targeted by vandals who express their ire through spray paint messages like “No Musk” or “Nazi.” Some Tesla owners, hoping to signal their dislike for Mr. Musk — or perhaps seeking to deter vandals — are plastering their cars with bumper sticker slogans like “I bought it before Elon went nuts.”“Tesla is becoming a political symbol of Trump and DOGE, and that is a bad thing for the brand,” a financial analyst at Wedbush Securities, Dan Ives, told the Associated Press. “You think it’s helping, but it’s actually hurting.” Since the beginning of the year, Tesla’s stock price has dropped by 36 percent. Mr. Trump responded to the backlash against his close adviser’s company this week in a lengthy post on Truth Social, denouncing “Radical Left Lunatics” for “trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for.” He proclaimed that he would be buying a Tesla as a show of confidence and support for Mr. Musk.On Tuesday afternoon, the 47th president staged a mock Tesla showing on the White House lawn, lining up five Tesla vehicles, including a Cyber Truck. Mr. Trump — who once vehemently criticized electric vehicles — oohed and ahhed over the lineup of cars, which he described as “beautiful.” Tesla isn’t the only Musk company receiving pushback. In Italy, the opposition parties have mounted a campaign to drop the government’s proposed 1.5 billion euro deal with Mr. Musk’s space exploration company, SpaceX, that would support the country’s telecommunication services. The leader of Italy’s centrist Action Party besmirched Mr. Musk as “not a reliable partner.” The leader of the country’s Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, urged Prime Minister Meloni, who is in support of the deal, to “change course immediately.” Ms. Schlein, whose party represents the largest opposition group in government, questioned on X: “How can Giorgia Meloni want to hand over the keys to Italy’s national security to Musk after hearing his latest, very serious words?”

With Many Running Away From Musk’s Teslas, Jerusalem Says Sell to Us

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