For all his apparent meddling in the recent German elections, Elon Musk may have done himself more harm than good. Not only did he fail to get his beloved AfD voted into power – it now seems that his Tesla operation is also tanking hard.
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What is going on? Elon Musk suspected of doing ‘major damage’ to Tesla
Musk, who currently serves alongside Donald Trump in a vague ‘government efficiency’ role, has tried to play political kingmaker across the globe within the last few months. However, where he succeeded in the US, he ultimately failed in Europe.
Germans have largely rejected the perceived interference of Mr. Musk. He has used his large following on the X/Twitter platform he owns to share his support for far-right ideologies, and parties such as the AfD – who critics have branded as ‘neo-Nazis’.
How has Elon Musk made himself unpopular in Germany?
This time last year, the AfD were polling at around 24%. However, following their endorsement from Elon Musk, they received just under 20% of the vote and were ultimately frozen-out of coalition talks. It now appears the tech billionaire is set for further alienation…
A major poll run by the German T-Online, with more than 100,000 respondents, asked if they’d ever consider buying a Tesla in the future. The rejections was resounding. A whopping 94% of those polled stated that they avoid the brand altogether.
Tesla stock continues to plummet
It’s another major blow to both Musk and Tesla, and the firm is experiencing a massive downturn in fortunes since the turn of the year. And yes, wider factors such as a more competitive EV market and a general slow-down in sales are at play here.
But it has become undeniable that Elon Musk himself is proving to be toxic for Tesla. Its share-price has crated, even since his questionable salute on Inauguration Day. Should this pattern continue, The DOGE Chief may have to quit his other day job…