Unplugged: The Backlash Against Trump–Musk

Unplugged: The Backlash Against Trump–Musk

Tesla’s stock plummeted more than 30 percent in the first quarter of 2025, losing its post-election gains, as the electric vehicle pioneer grapples with an unexpected challenge: a consumer revolt against CEO Elon Musk's leadership of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and his political alliances.

Once celebrated across the political spectrum, Tesla has transformed from an environmental icon into a political flashpoint.

Tesla dealerships have become symbols, explains Lara Starr, who organized a 200-person demonstration in Marin County, California. "You can't disentangle Tesla from Musk, and you can't disentangle Musk from Trump. And the one thing I can say about Musk positively is he has handed us a place in almost every community around the country that is symbolic of everything wrong that is going on in Washington."

The impact of this grassroots rebellion is beginning to show in Tesla's financial reports. Global sales have hit historic lows for the company, with particularly sharp declines in traditionally strong markets.

Despite Tesla's business challenges, the billionaire poured considerable resources on reshaping America's political landscape. His political spending — including with his super PAC spending $25 million in a single Wisconsin Supreme Court race — has yielded disappointing returns. His preferred candidate was defeated.

In this week’s episode of The Intercept Briefing, reporters Matt Sledge and Sunjeev Bery examine this grassroots rebellion and what it reveals about Musk's power and the future of political activism.

"There's been a lot of talk about how the Democrats are in disarray and not sure how to recover from the election last year. But the Wisconsin election — and the way that Elon Musk got involved and personalized it and made it about him himself — gave Democrats an easy yes-no vote on Elon Musk, and I think that was really significant here," says Sledge.

He points out how that election is also a rebuke of the Trump–Musk alliance: " It is fascinating that it is happening through this electoral mechanism, and that people are being allowed to give a referendum on this relationship, and that the democratic process is potentially having a direct input on this relationship."

Intercept contributor Sunjeev Bery says the Tesla protests are much bigger than just Tesla or Musk. "The Tesla takedown movement has become this astonishing wave of opposition to Trump, the fascist directions of the Trump regime, everything Elon Musk is pushing with DOGE. It's a place where lots of people who are angry about all of the different things that the Trump regime is up to — all of the fires they're setting — can come together and focus on Elon Musk, Tesla, and the physical place of his dealerships."


Listen to the full conversation of The Intercept Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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BONUS: Ralph Nader on Gina Haspel, John Bolton, Syria and the ‘decrepit’ Democratic Party

BONUS: Ralph Nader on Gina Haspel, John Bolton, Syria and the ‘decrepit’ Democratic Party

Ralph Nader is the best known public advocate in modern U.S. history, and has run for president four times. On this special episode of Intercepted, we are going to dig deep into several issues facing the country and the world right now. Nader rose to prominence in the 1960s after blowing the lid on extreme safety issues with General Motors and other car manufacturers’ products. His book, "Unsafe at Any Speed," was an influential investigation and exposé. Throughout his life, Nader has waged countless campaigns aimed at food safety, worker, and environmental protections.At the age of 84, he continues to wage the very same battles he has from the start of his public life. His latest book, “Breaking Through Power,” chronicles his various battles against the U.S. government, big corporations and concentrated political power. The latest Intercepted featured an excerpt of our interview with Nader. What follows is the entire conversation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29 Huhti 201856min

The Haspel Ultimatum

The Haspel Ultimatum

Ralph Nader analyzes the state of the Democratic Party, the DNC lawsuit against Russia, and lays out the John Bolton threat. Whistleblower and Senate candidate Chelsea Manning talks about prison, comparisons to Edward Snowden, and her campaign. And artist Ricardo Cortés ("Go the Fuck to Sleep") talks about the secret history of the coca and cola in your Coke, his post-9/11 coloring book about xenophobia, and his latest work, “Sea Creatures from the Sky,” a children’s book about otherness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Huhti 20181h 38min

Evening at the Talk House (Part 3)

Evening at the Talk House (Part 3)

Intercepted presents "Evening at the Talk House", an original play by Wallace Shawn.  Part 3 of 3.  All it takes is complacency to enable the dirty work of an authoritarian regime.Cast: JANE - Annapurna Sriram; DICK - Wallace Shawn; ROBERT - Matthew Broderick; TED - John Epperson; NELLIE - Jill Eikenberry; TOM - Larry Pine; ANNETTE - Claudia Shear; BILL - Michael TuckerBased on the original U.S. theatrical production directed by Scott Elliott for the New Group in New York. Written by Wallace Shawn. Directed and produced by Pejk Malinovski. Assistant Director Marie Masters. Original music by John Epperson. Additional music, mixing, and sound design by Bart Warshaw. Executive producers Jeremy Scahill and Leital Molad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Huhti 201834min

Evening at the Talk House (Part 2)

Evening at the Talk House (Part 2)

Intercepted presents "Evening at the Talk House", an original play by Wallace Shawn.  Part 2 of 3.  As drinks and hors d’oeuvres are consumed, small talk evolves into more sinister topics.Cast: JANE - Annapurna Sriram; DICK - Wallace Shawn; ROBERT - Matthew Broderick; TED - John Epperson; NELLIE - Jill Eikenberry; TOM - Larry Pine; ANNETTE - Claudia Shear; BILL - Michael TuckerBased on the original U.S. theatrical production directed by Scott Elliott for the New Group in New York. Written by Wallace Shawn. Directed and produced by Pejk Malinovski. Assistant Director Marie Masters. Original music by John Epperson. Additional music, mixing, and sound design by Bart Warshaw. Executive producers Jeremy Scahill and Leital Molad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Huhti 201830min

Evening at the Talk House (Part 1)

Evening at the Talk House (Part 1)

Intercepted presents "Evening at the Talk House", an original play by Wallace Shawn.  Part 1 of 3.  A group of writers and actors reunite to celebrate a collaboration from their past. But the world is now very different. And so are theyCast: JANE - Annapurna Sriram; DICK - Wallace Shawn; ROBERT - Matthew Broderick; TED - John Epperson; NELLIE - Jill Eikenberry; TOM - Larry Pine; ANNETTE - Claudia Shear; BILL - Michael TuckerBased on the original U.S. theatrical production directed by Scott Elliott for the New Group in New York. Written by Wallace Shawn. Directed and produced by Pejk Malinovski. Assistant Director Marie Masters. Original music by John Epperson. Additional music, mixing, and sound design by Bart Warshaw. Executive producers Jeremy Scahill and Leital Molad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Huhti 201838min

A Nation Addicted to War

A Nation Addicted to War

Historian Andrew Bacevich and Jeremy make the case against escalating U.S. military action in Syria even if Assad’s forces were behind the attack. The acclaimed novelist Arundhati Roy talks about her new novel, "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness," and offers insights on Kashmir, Narendra Modi, Trump, and more. Actor and writer Wallace Shawn (My Dinner with Andre, The Princess Bride) talks about the U.S. assassination program, imperial wars and collective responsibility. He and Jeremy also discuss "Evening at the Talk House," Shawn’s new audio drama premiering next week on Intercepted.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Huhti 20181h 32min

Injustice League

Injustice League

Yousef Mema, a 24-year-old nursing student in Gaza who witnessed the massacre, describes the killings and the aftermath and he has a message for U.S. lawmakers. Then, key narratives about the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooter, Omar Mateen, and his motives and alleged accomplices are falling apart. The Intercept’s Glenn Greenwald talks about the new information. We speak to two DA candidates in California: Geneviéve Jones-Wright of San Diego and Pamela Price of Alameda County. If successful, these new, progressive DAs could shake the criminal justice industry to its core and find themselves at war with the Trump White House.  And, Frank from Donnie Darko pays a visit to the White House. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Huhti 20181h 19min

Donald Trump's 'Stache Infection

Donald Trump's 'Stache Infection

Famed women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred, who has a case against Trump that may result in her deposing the president, analyzes the legal battles ahead for the president. Former national security briefer to George HW Bush, Ray McGovern, talks about John Bolton, Russia, and the CIA’s twitter account engaging in domestic propaganda. The Intercept’s Ryan Grim and Alex Emmons talk about Kushner, the Presidential Daily Brief, and MBS’s royal putsch that made him next in line for the Saudi throne. And punk musician Alice Bags of The Bags talks about the early punk scene in Los Angeles, feminism, her career and we hear music from her new album, “Blueprint.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Maalis 20181h 28min

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