Once a beacon of pride for Democrats, Tesla has become a symbol of division.
Elon Musk, the electric vehicle company's CEO, has drawn criticism for his work in the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Now protests, attacks on dealerships and violent attacks have cropped up outside showrooms across the U.S.
Five Teslas were damaged at a collision center in Las Vegas, where police said someone used "incendiary devices" and spray-painted the word "Resist" on the building.
At a protest in Palm Beach on Saturday, a vehicle drove into a crowd of demonstrators.
Similar events nationwide led to President Donald Trump endorsing Musk and the company and purchasing a Tesla on the White House's South Lawn. Attorney General Pam Bondi released a statement calling the recent attacks on Tesla property "nothing short of domestic terrorism."
A survey from the EV Politics Project found that about 75% of Democrats view Musk negatively. A lot of Republicans say the opposite, including Michelle Pozzie. She's a realtor and ran for election to the Florida House of Representatives in 2024. She lost to James Buchanan in the Republican primary.
Pozzie visited a protest about immigration policies outside New College in Sarasota, when demonstrators began to "boo" a Tesla Cybertruck driving by.
"This is a perfect example. A car manufacturer who's not even here, but a private citizen who bought a vehicle in this country, a legal citizen, can't drive by in his car," she said. "You're gonna tell me this is America? You're gonna tell me this is what we stand for? We're better than this."
"He bought a frickin' car that, by the way, the left loved once upon a time, and we're going to boo him? We're better than this as Americans," Pozzie added. "I understand being upset with Trump. Come to find out a lot of people on the right, we don't agree on everything either, but my goodness, a Tesla driving down the street is going to stir that kind of anger? We're better than this."
The protest movement called Tesla Takedown is now calling for people to "sell your Teslas, dump your stock, (and) join the picket lines" on March 29.
The movement has planned protests throughout the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Organizers said they "oppose violence, vandalism and destruction of property."
