Trump Says It's "Illegal" to Boycott Tesla

President Donald Trump, defending the honor of his right hand man Elon Musk, has described boycotting Tesla as "illegal."

Trump made the comments in a Truth Social post at midnight on Tuesday, after a day that saw a tanking stock price for Musk's automaker. Trump asserted that Musk is actually doing a "fantastic job!" with Tesla — but that "Radical Left Lunatics" are "trying to illegally and collusively boycott" it.

"In any event, I'm going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American," Trump added. 

Tesla is currently facing a wave of protests and vandalism across the country, fueled by strong anti-Musk sentiment for the world's richest man's heavy involvement in gutting federal spending through his so-called Department of Government Efficiency. Demonstrators have gathered outside Tesla dealerships in the hundreds, while individual cars have been defaced with spraypaint or pelted with trash. Some Tesla locations have even faced apparent arson attacks.

All the while, the electric vehicle manufacturer's sales in Europe have slowed at the start of the year, continuing the slump that gripped 2024. Worse, despite enjoying a surging stock price following Trump's election victory, Tesla shares have tumbled since January, culminating in a staggering 15 percent nosedive on Monday — its steepest decline in five years. Musk's cash cow has now lost more than half of its value since peaking in mid-December, wiping out over $800 billion in market cap.

In short, Tesla's not doing too hot right now — which is why Trump, a billionaire, is making this grand gesture of buying a single one of its cars. (Related: doesn't he already have a gifted Cybertruck custom-wrapped in MAGA livery lying around somewhere?)

Still, the president's assertion that boycotting Tesla is "illegal" is false and absurd. As CNBC notes, a 1982 Supreme Court decision held that nonviolent protests against private businesses, including boycotts, are protected by the First Amendment. Regardless, it's unlikely that automaker's faltering sales reflect any consciously organized boycott so much as its deteriorating image due to its CEO's controversial behavior.

An amusing parallel: Trump's cries of illegality echo the kind of tantrum Musk threw when advertisers pulled out of his website X, formerly, Twitter, en masse. First, Musk told them to "go fuck" themselves — then begged for them to come back. When the advertisers didn't, he sued them for colluding in an "illegal boycott" against his platform.

More on Tesla: Elon Musk Has a Major Problem: Tesla Investors Are Absolutely Disgusted With Him