Crowds gathered at the Tesla dealership in Pasadena this weekend, protesting against budget cuts Tesla founder Elon Musk is making with the Trump Administration.
Demonstrators voiced their opposition to the federal downsizing efforts of the federal government led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk oversees. The department’s goal is to reduce government spending, and so far, over 121,000 federal workers have been fired.
Many of Saturday’s protesters argue that these cuts have gone too far, urging people to boycott the company, Tesla owners to sell their cars, and even dump their stock to contribute to the decline in Tesla’s sales.
While the protest remained peaceful, tensions were high as protesters decried the cuts, with some calling for an end to Musk’s leadership.
Yesterday’s protest in Pasadena was part of a larger wave of “Take Down Tesla” demonstrations held nationwide and worldwide on Saturday. Some counter-protesters also attended.
While organizers emphasized that the protests were intended to be peaceful, they occurred amid a rise in violent incidents targeting Tesla vehicles and facilities, including fires at cars and charging stations. The FBI has intervened to address these attacks, and the White House has condemned the violence.
There were no reports of violence or vandalism at the Pasadena location, and no arrests were made. CBS News Los Angeles has reached out to Tesla for comment but has not heard back by the time of publication.
Despite the protests, Musk remains confident in Tesla’s future.
