A Quebec man is selling his two Teslas and cancelling his Cybertruck order because he now refuses to support Elon Musk.
Alain Roy says Musk’s U.S. inauguration day salute was the last straw.
Musk — the world’s wealthiest individual, founder of SpaceX, owner of X (formerly Twitter), CEO of Tesla and more — has become a polarizing figure in recent months since aligning himself with U.S. President Donald Trump, after he raised some $200 million for the election campaign.
While Roy says he loves his Tesla model Y and S EVs for all their high-tech advanced features, the Montreal-area resident told Global News he can’t stand driving them any longer. “It’s Musk I don’t like,” he said.
Both he and his wife each drive one, and he was halfway through ordering a third — this time, the Cybertruck.
It was Musk’s now infamous inauguration day gesture, that many interpreted as a Nazi salute, that ended Roy’s affinity for the company.
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“That sign was too much for me. I immediately cancelled my Cybertruck order and both my Teslas are up for sale.”
The tech billionaire responded to allegations that he performed a Nazi salute at President Trump’s inauguration, dismissing it as “dirty tricks” by critics, but not outwardly denying the accusations.
Roy said he had begun to grow uneasy when Musk took on the role as head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Before that, he had been a fan of the business innovator for years.
The latest business reports show Tesla sales have have been slumping in Europe, the U.K. and Australia, and its stock price has dropped 30 per cent from its all-time high in December. This could indicate that the Quebec man is part of a widening trend to boycott the brand amid Musk’s entry into U.S. politics.
However, Gad Elmoznino from Club Tesla Quebec argues that the company employs thousands of brilliant people, not just Musk, and says he won’t deprive himself of one of the electric vehicles because of the CEO’s views.
“I’ve seen him do crazy things before that I was not comfortable with. But it really comes down to the product,” he said.
He told Global he thinks the anti-Tesla trend was accelerated by bumper stickers reading, “I bought this before Elon went crazy.”
“Let’s face it, me not buying a Tesla tomorrow is in no way is going to affect Musk personally and no way going to change his behaviour.”
In recent weeks, Musk has promoted far-right groups and parties engaged in election campaigns in Germany and the U.K. He addressed supporters of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in Halle, Germany on Jan. 25.
He has been accused of using his social media site X to spread disinformation about European policies on public safety and online regulation.
Musk also has tweeted occasionally about Canadian politics. He praised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation and dismissed him online by echoing Trump’s talk of Canada becoming a U.S. state.
“Girl, you’re not the governor of Canada anymore, so (it) doesn’t matter what you say,” Musk posted on Jan. 8.
Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland recently called on Ottawa to impose a 100 per cent tariff on Tesla vehicles in retaliation for Trump’s planned 25 per cent tariffs.
Global News has reached out to Tesla for comment.
–with files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
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