Hundreds of people toting signs lined Route 70 in Cherry Hill Saturday to protest outside a Tesla dealership as part of the national movement nicknamed “Tesla Takedowns.”
The protest was another in the national movement that has emerged since President Donald Trump appointed Tesla CEO Elon Musk to lead the White House’s new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Some of the signs read “fire Musk,” “dump Elon” and “Trump picked Elon, not you.”
The protest took place for about 90 minutes starting at 12:30 p.m. and had more than 600 participants at its peak, according to Cooper River Indivisible, the non-profit organization that led the rally.
Adam Sheridan, lead organizer for the group, said the protest demands that Musk be removed from his government role and also to call on Americans to boycott Tesla.
“Given the daily drop in Tesla’s stock price and the frequent poor sales reports for their vehicles, it’s clear this message is resonating around the country,” Sheridan said.
Tesla shares closed on Friday at $248.71, a nearly 50 percent drop from its all-time high of just below $480 on Dec. 17.
One of the attendees, Janine Brown, of Delran, told NJ Advance Media that it was a well attended, “high energy” protest.
“We are angry and we will fight peacefully for our rights,” Brown said.
Musk’s controversial DOGE has promised to cut between $1 trillion and $2 trillion from the annual federal budget by 2026.
Meanwhile, reports of vandalism to Tesla vehicles have also emerged across the country in recent weeks. There were no reports of vandalism at this Saturday protest.
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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.
