When she purchased a new Tesla Model Y in November of 2023, the Westport woman was pleased.
She no longer had to buy gas. It was easy to maintain. The cost was only about $40,000.
“It was a no-brainer,” the woman — who asked that her name not be used — says.
Tesla Model Y
As he joined the Trump administration, the woman knew that Elon Musk — Tesla’s CEO — was “a potential danger as a human being.” But, she says, “I never thought he’d have as much power as he does.”
In the first days after the inauguration, she says, “I joked, ‘I gotta get rid of this car.’ But as he ramped up his slash-and-burn, I didn’t want to be attached to him in any way. He’s evil.”
Three weeks ago, she found a Hyundai Tucson hybrid. She sold her Tesla.
Hyundai Tucson
Worldwide, owners are talking about selling their Musk-related automobiles. This is one local woman who actually did.
“I don’t want to make a grand statement,” she insists. “I just wanted to feel better.”
No one ever said anything to her about her Tesla. No one flipped her off, or keyed her car.
Still, she says, “I didn’t want to become a target. I didn’t want controversy. There shouldn’t be controversy about the car you drive.”
But something else about her Tesla made her uneasy, beyond the company CEO’s actions she loathes.
Beginning in December, her Tesla’s menu of radio stations and podcasts suddenly changed.
There — sprinkled among her presets and favorites — were options like Ben Shapiro, Sean Hannity and “Fox & Friends.”
They’d probably been there before, she says, but much lower on the list. “I would have had to scroll way down to find them.”
She found the sudden appearance of right-wing shows “creepy. It can’t be a coincidence.”
The Westporter is happy with her Hyundai. It recharges itself. She can go 400 miles on a tank of gas.
Yet if she had a chance to meet Elon Musk, and talk face to face, what would she say?
“I just want him to stay in his lane,” she says.
“He’s a smart guy. He’s good with technology. But he’s been given so much power, because he gave Trump so much money.
“Why can’t he just stick with what he’s good at?”
(“06880” is “where Westport meets the world” — politically, automotively, and in every other way. If you enjoy this hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Imagine, in the United States of America we have come to the point where a person is afraid to HAVE FIRST OR LAST NAME LINKED THE MAKE OF CAR OWNED.
Who or what type of person would she potentially have to be afraid of? In Westport, Connecticut?
It’s much much more than having musk just stay in his lane. Trump and his evil twin musk have done everything that causes nightmares. We truly are on the path to dictatorship and destruction of our democracy and our freedoms as Americans. When someone doesn’t stay in their lane, a crash occurs and people are hurt sometimes killed..accidents don’t just happen. They are caused.
One way to protest, would be to have TSLA shareholders demand removal of Elon from his position of CEO.
Musk may be a genius at some things but certainly downsizing the government is not one of them. If the goal of the GOP is to cut the federal bureaucracy (2% of the budget) to hack away at the deficit while continuing with large tax cuts for the rich, they have no earthly idea for what they are doing.
what do you think of Musk public Natzi salute and defense of right wing criminals in Germany charged with antisemitic criminal charges in Germany. ?
Ketamine fueled and wielding a chainsaw is beyond creepy.
Why is this a story you are presenting? Why can’t we keep out of the obvious political bias?
The tagline of “06880” is “Where Westport meets the world.” In addition to local stories, I always try to look for local angles for national stories.
As I’ve said before this Dan Woog’s blog.
He can write whatever he wants and hopefully feels unfettered to do so.
politics affect our life in 06880
Tesla stock lost 160 Billion in 16 days. This story is everywhere and in every neighborhood in America.
James, your dysfunctional comment is the reason Edmund burke was moved to say , “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
Wake up, for Christ’s sake!
The lane Trump, Musk and their collaborators are staying in is the three-lane highway they’ve created to dictatorship and the end of our Constitution and the three-tiered republic it created. Congress is no longer a co-equal branch. We nervously watch the Judiciary often do the right thing with no way to enforce its rulings. Even Nixon heeded the Supreme Court. Never has the expression “our experiment in democracy” been more chilling as we watch it die until the people unite to keep it alive.
Well im glad he took a couple days off from his evil taking over the world to bring back 2 amazing Americans from space. Id love a story on how one of the most powerful nations in the world, with allies all over the world, couldnt bring them home for 9 months. It took an evil private dictator to do it i guess!
“ Allies all over the world”. Not anymore.
In the same boat except anxiously awaiting a Mini Cooper!
Thanks so much for posting a few alternatives to the Tesla. As I drive around town the Tesla is everywhere. If you own one request here to sell or best possible is to donate it to a NFP in need. Truth is that there are better electrics available anyway so why not make the switch now. The real status symbol gained here will be standing up for Democracy.
Selling the car just passes it to the next person for who cheap transport trumps political principle.
Only way to remove the appliance from the world is to scrap it.
Which just creates more junkyards and further pollutes the environment.
I drive a Rivien. Is that OK.
look up consumer reports on Rivien.
I don’t own one. I just drive one at work.
Always amazed me that Jewish people would financially support and drive BMWs, Mercedes Benzs and Volkswagens.
Maybe plug any of those car companies and “third reich” into ChatGPT and see what you learn.
They’re smart. Anybody that would blame a car for the sins of its owner isn’t too bright.
one of the greatest antisemites in USA history Is Ford.
As was Lindbergh. As is the Ivy League these days. Trump’s son in law is paddling upstream at family functions.
David beat me to it. Hitler always enjoyed riding around in his Mercedes. He was also integral to the wide-spread adoption of the Volkswagen brand, BMW started as a military airplane engine manufacturer in support of Nazi Germany.
For a while, I refused to buy Spanish cars because of the inquisition and Egyptian cars because of the Exodus, but I’ve finally got past this.
Yet here I am now, owning a Tesla and I definitely have concerns of the statement of driving it.
That’s actually an interesting and intelligent rebuttal, David…as opposed the Haskel one above.
Thanks.
First world problems.
Is this the place for a thought terminating cliche when THE first world problem is keeping the first world intact?
I find the propaganda on mainstream media creepy also! But I don’t stop buying dove soap. Maybe the left is having a hard time hearing opposing views for the first time. Silly article. And the Tesla looks a lot better btw. So funny that the guy who built the largest electric car company from scratch and now is trying to eliminate fraud and waste in government is the devil. Woke mind virus.
Who was the TEAM member who defended monkey sounds directed at a Black basketball team by white spectators? Who said it was free speech, not hate speech? I can’t remember.
Why is Musk “trying to eliminate fraud and waste” in government to begin with? He should have no role whatsoever in government activities. He’s just not qualified.
When Musk acquired twitter Tesla also quickly dropped 12-13 %, then rebounded to more than it had been before that drop and held that increase pretty consistently for several years, (and it’s the same Type feeling they need to sell it). Musk and Tesla will work out any legit problems WHILE the more ‘I just don’t like libertarians like Musk so I’m selling my shares of Tesla’ will be replaced with other investors who are probably more libertarian. Right? isn’t that likely, probable?
I don’t understand. Elon Musk was appointed by Trump and not elected. He’s heading up President Obama’s created DOGE (they just renamed it to that). He’s doing a great job finding redundancy, fraud and waste which saves taxpayers money. Why is that bad?
His companies are ALL amazing cutting edge companies. He’s also, in his spare time, finding technology to help the blind see and another for the paralyzed to walk. I think he’s truly a humanitarian and looking to help mankind in many ways.
Liberals only started hating Musk when he started working under President Trump. Before that Democrats LOVED them both. I would hate to make major decisions BASED on my HATRED for someone. Again, I just don’t get it.
BTW .. I think Tesla’s are ugly and would never buy one but … destroying others property is wrong! Good choice on the new car! I love the self charging cars.
Why is that bad? Did you know that USAID provided life saving food and medicine to starving children and adults all over the world? Did you know that babies have already starved to death because their food and medicine was left to rot in port thanks to Elon and Don. Is that bad? But we sure saved taxpayers some money!
that’s literally not true, i.e., babies have not starved to death because of DOGE, Trump and Musk ID’ing and putting a full stop to out and out fraud and cutting out less intentional waste that was more a result of laziness, inclination to repeat what’s already been done, etc.
even the govts of recipient nations of USAID funds would have to explain to their own citizens and media who pointed out the blatant misuse of USAID funds in their nations that they had to allow that misuse of USAID funds in their nations by USAID or else the funds they were receiving and allowed to spend in truly meaningful ways would be cut off by USA Govt.
what Trump Administration is stopping is misuse of funds, not real meaningful use of funds, Obv.
That’s literally not true…if you get your information from Elon musk. Here’s what Nick Kristoff had to say about the matter:
Nicholas Kristof
@NickKristof
Elon Musk says that no one has died because he slashed humanitarian aid. I went to South Sudan to check if that’s true. It’s not. Within an hour of starting interviews, I had the names of a 10-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl who had died because of decisions by wealthy men in Washington.
The visit that moved me the most was to a remote area that used to have no health care, where women routinely died in childbirth. Then a US-funded maternity clinic opened through
@UNFPA
in December, and not one woman has died since. I showed up, and people mistakenly thought I was responsible for the clinic. One new mom wanted to name her baby for me, and the village elders thanked me and hailed America’s generosity. What they didn’t know was that Trump/Musk had cut all funding for UNFPA and that as a result the maternity clinic will close this month, and women will once again be bleeding to death in the dust.
Here’s a giftlink to my report from ground level about what the shutdown of USAID means: https://nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/15/opinion/foreign-aid-cuts-impact.html?unlocked_article_code=1.4E4.H8Lx.GD39rucUfloD&smid=url-share
I get my info – what I’ve said in this blog comment section – fr personal experience, one on one discussion, not fr ‘Elon Musk’. I am though relieved that Musk DOGE Trump are unearthing and not tolerating what became too acceptable, the bad side of 🇺🇸 foreign aid. Nobody – no USA, no 🇺🇸 ally, no recipient of USA aid/investment should have to be patty to ‘dirty deals’ just to get the clean deals/clean legit money deals.
What ever title/agency/form USA aid/investment now comes from we can actually be proud of it instead of some part proud some party sorry for. Good people Abs love that.
Personal experience? One on one discussion? That’s how you know if children are dying in South Sudan because USAID has been cutoff? But you haven’t been to South Sudan, have you? And neither has Musk or Trump, but NicK Kristoff has, and he has been reporting from Sudan for decades.
Doge has yet to verify ANY of it’s claims. Why not prove his assertions in front of Congress if Musk has done so well? Under oath, of course.
They have not cut ALL of that. No starving babies. Who showed you that proof? America isn’t responsible for the rest of the worlds population. We give more to other countries than to our own citizens in need especially our Veterans. NO starving baby in another country trumps an American Veteran living on the street in need of care. Yes, I’ll take those billions and put them towards our debt so that our Grandchildren don’t have to carry that.
That’s your only example? They’ve cut fraud and waste which is good. Don’t you do that in your own household budget? Still … the argument was NOT to destroy other people’s property (Tesla’s.) Burn your own car .. that’s your business but don’t destroy other peoples property. I learned that from my parents when I was 13.
“No starving babies.” Your cult is more important than the lives of others. Cruelty turns you on. Have a hot weekend.
Yeah, that’s my only example. From someone who has reported on the matter, on the ground, for decades. Now, where’s your proof that musk and his merry band of incels have saved a single dime? Has he presented his findings? No he has not. Has he testified under oath? No he has not.
Why don’t you get back to all of us when you can demonstrate a single, solitary shred of evidence to support your claim? You won’t because you can’t because Elon hadn’t done jack.
Why is this person allowed to be anonymous? Thoughtwe had to give our name. Cathy gavin
It’s Dan’s blog. Dan rules. We worship.
The person did not want to get blasted online, and/or harassed personally. I have always allowed people to post comments or be quoted anonymously, provided 1) they have a good reason, and 2) I know who they are. That’s different from people posting anonymously or using fake names. Hope that helps, Cathy.
Diana: you’re a breathe of fresh air but I’m afraid your reasonable and realistic question will fall on deaf TDS ears. Notice with all the screaming and fear mongering not one of the naysayers explains what DOGE has found, which is the largest money laundering operation in history, benefitting corrupt politicians of both parties and their friends and families. All done on the backs of American taxpayers. Lies and spin are the playbook. But now that the border is closed, as inflation cools, prices come down, taxes are reduced or eliminated, the economy booms, the tariffs work, two wars end and Trump actually achieves a balanced budget they’ll still cry dictator and decry democracy’s end. I truly believe if Trump cured cancer the TDS crowd would scream that he’s exacerbating global warming because people are no longer dying. Diana, you can’t win, you can’t reason with someone in the throws of TDS. Just sit back and enjoy the meltdown. Success will be America’s reward for overwhelmingly supporting DJT.
It’s “throes.” But maybe I missed an executive order?
What is your prefferedKoolaid flavor?
We’ll all be glad to hear Mr. Musk present his findings of “the largest money laundering operation in history, benefitting corrupt politicians of both parties and their friends and families”, just a soon as he’s sworn in to present his findings to congress. Without a single solitary piece of evidence to support his claims, it’s just hot air. Except, of course, for those now dead because Elon and Don denied them food and medicine. Food and medicine grown and donated by the American people, now left to rot.
But TDS! TDS! (what about me said hunter’s laptop?)
It always amazes me how people with high IQs can have their emotional intelligence significantly diminished by their biases. Just turn on Fox News or MSNBC, and you’ll see it firsthand. These hosts can’t possibly be serious when they defend their party 100% of the time.
When it comes to Elon Musk, I find it difficult to assess the true impact of what he’s trying to accomplish. What I do know is that many before him have tried and failed—and now I understand why. I believe Bill Clinton was the last president to truly work across the aisle and successfully reduce the size of the government workforce.
I’ve personally test-driven almost every fully electric vehicle available in the U.S. and have owned one for many years. I can confidently say that Tesla is far ahead of the competition. While competitors are catching up in some areas, Tesla still leads in efficiency, software, and charging infrastructure. Those who claim there are many others that are better—I simply don’t believe you. I think you’re influenced by your ideology.
The government workforce? You mean like those working on and operating our nuclear weapons and reactors, NOAA, air traffic controllers, those working on making sure our food and medicine are safe to consume, our water and air remain safe, etc…are those the workforce you seek to reduce?
You’re making a solid point about how discussions are often framed in a way that misrepresents opposing views, which is exactly what drives so much of the partisan noise. A more nuanced approach—one that focuses on efficiency and effectiveness rather than absolute positions—would be a far more constructive way to tackle these issues.
Too often, debates get reduced to all-or-nothing extremes, where any call for reform is portrayed as an attack on the entire system. But most rational people aren’t arguing to eliminate or reduce necessary services—they’re questioning whether they’re being run efficiently. High emotional intelligence means being able to separate ideological rhetoric from practical solutions, something that unfortunately seems to be in short supply in today’s media and political discourse.
I believe Trump is getting ready to shred the Dept. of Education this afternoon. And who, exactly, will provide the necessary services provided by that department in its absence?
While state control over education allows for localized decision-making and potential innovation, the Department of Education provides essential functions that promote equity, protect civil rights, and ensure consistent data collection and research. Abolishing the department could lead to increased disparities and a fragmentation of educational standards and protections across the country. The Department of Education did not even exist before 1980, but we live in a different world now.
In other words, no one will provide the essential functions and services the Department of Education did.
“And if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there”
– George Harrison
While the DOE only provides 8% of states’ education funds, they are critical to special education and other various essential programs. The GOP has been trying to get rid of the DOE since Carter implemented it in 1980. Reagan finally gave up but W advocated the voucher system (which does not logistically work) and charter schools (which the public schools out perform on testing).
Just like national defense and the postal system historically required centralized coordination to function efficiently, certain areas need a clear delineation between federal and state roles to avoid redundancy, confusion, and waste. A federal watchdog like DOGE could limit their job to sniffing out duplication, killing overlap, and force departments like DOE to focus on core functions only. But to end it entirely seems extreme and will leave voids.
If DOGE were looking as opposed to eliminating the Department of Education, it might ask: Is the DOE setting meaningful national goals? Are they working with states, or just throwing money at problems? it’s not just DOE. The issue is complex and deeply rooted in how the U.S. approaches education at every level.
Congress did not create doge, it is nothing more than a ruse to go in, break things and steal millions of Americans personal data. Sorry, but I don’t find the idea of musk and his band of snot nosed incels rummaging through social security, Medicaid and Medicare especially appealing. Want to cut fraud waste and abuse? You’re in luck, that’s the job of the Inspector’s General, now mostly fired.
Clearly, the Inspectors General were not fulfilling their responsibilities, as “confirmed” findings emerged within a very short period of time. Resorting to name-calling does nothing to advance the discussion.
You forgot to mention that Trump broke the law when he fired them. The law (you remember the law, don’t you?). The law, REQUIRES 30 day notice to Congress prior to any firings. If these firings weren’t bogus, then why didn’t he do it legally? Or does not apply any more?
You can add The View on ABC to the list of blinded by their ideology shows
Good for this reader for getting rid of the Tesla! The radio channels thing is creepy. And given the tenor of some of these comments, I see why it was important to protect the writer’s privacy.
Listen, the Teslas that already exist are going to be driven by someone for their lifespans. But they are now pariah cars—sad, because many of the people who bought them did so as an act of consumer activism toward a better world, not dictatorship, cruelty, and environmental destruction.
This is fantasy, but wouldn’t it be cool if everyone who could afford to would donate their Tesla to a charity—say a ride-sharing company for people who cannot afford transportation—and all the Teslas got covered with pro-social justice bumpers? I like to dream. I am not in a position to start an organization like that, but you never know—if people put out ideas, maybe someone else will find them usable.
Also, I think it’s time to decouple modern Germany (and its cars) from Hitler. In this century, Germany is a much better world citizen than our crumbling democracy.
“There – sprinkled among her presets and favorites – were options like Ben Shapiro, Sean Hannity and “Fox & Friends.”
Heaven forbid we should have different options offered in radio station menus. If you don’t like them, just scroll on by. Imagine if we had NO options at all and were forced to listen to media from one viewpoint only (whether it’s “left-wing” or “right-wing”). I’m decidedly not a fan of Hannity and Fox & Friends, but in a free country, there should still be room for other viewpoints, even if you don’t agree with them.
Well said!
The fact that she had pre-sets meant that she’d already programmed her vehicle the way she wanted it. Would you like someone arbitrarily adjusting the heat and seat position setting on your vehicle? Those programs are opinion and personality pieces, she’s not annoyed that they exist, but that they overrode her personal settings. This was like when my Instagram account suddenly followed a bunch of new politicians this year. I don’t want them on my feed, I curate the algorithm there to show me cat and baby reels! I will local, national, and world news sources, but having some Pravda level “this is your content source now,” takeover is jarring.
If she wants alternative perspectives, she can seek them out without it being foisted upon her. “Free country” and all, right?
They didn’t override her personal settings and favorites; they were there in addition to them.
Two points: More Americans get their news from radio than any other mean of communication; (2) Fox is not news, it is propaganda. When Reagan repealed the “equal time” mandate in 1988 (whereby the opposing view was to be given equal time), it opened the door for Fox and commentary, not news. Walter turning in his grave.
I agree that repealing the equal time mandate (wasnt it called “The Fairness Doctrine”?) was a mistake. Fox is right wing propaganda and most if not all of the others are left wing propaganda. I watch The Simpsons. They need to move the show’s venue from Springfield to Westport. They could do an episode where Homer gets in trouble for trimming his hedges in his underwear.
The backlash against Tesla often seems more about Musk’s personal controversies than the company itself. But the people who actually work there—the engineers, designers, factory workers—are the ones who feel the impact the most. It’s ironic because many of them likely don’t align politically with Musk, yet they’re caught in the crossfire of a broader cultural and political battle.
Tesla’s innovations and contributions to the EV market are undeniable, but for some, hating the company has become more about ideology than actual product quality or industry impact.
It’s interesting to read the ways that some commenters try to dismiss or diminish or wave away a statement of conscience, if it conflicts with their political affiliations.
“First world problems” by Andrew Colabella is an interesting example.
It should be well understood by now that Elon Musk’s campaign against USAID has cost lives in third world countries. See, for example, Nick Kristof’s well-reported piece, “Musk Said No One Has Died Since Aid Was Cut. That Isn’t True.” In January, Musk and Trump effectively shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development. To focus on just one of its programs, “An estimated 1,650,000 people could die within a year without American foreign aid for H.I.V. prevention and treatment.” Here’s a free link: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/15/opinion/foreign-aid-cuts-impact.html?unlocked_article_code=1.5U4.OHYP.HMVQF2UCFq_-&smid=url-share
First world problems, indeed, Andrew.
It should also be well understood that Musk’s campaign has nothing to do with “fraud and waste.” He boasted of executing the “evil” USAID. He ignores fact checks revealing his lies and exaggerations. These are policy differences. His animus against USAID began with its policies opposing the apartheid regime in his native South Africa.
An interesting historical pattern is that people always understood at the time. Sometimes we hear apologists say, you can’t judge people back then by today’s modern standards of morality. But people knew in Thomas Jefferson’s day that slavery and rape of teenage slaves were evil. They knew during the American Civil War that slavery was the cause, as it was spelled out in the state secession declarations themselves. They knew in FDR’s day that the segregationist federal housing policies were evil. We always knew.
I can’t believe how many assholes used to live in Westport.
Hiding behind a fake name, are we?
“I don’t want to make a grand statement,” she insists…
And yet here we are, reading that very same grand statement (made anonymously) so the whole town can be informed and the author can be applauded. If this isn’t the very definition of virtue signaling, then I don’t know what is. Why not just do what your conscience dictates to you without the public announcement?
P.S. I have serious doubts that her (or anyone else’s) Tesla would be keyed or damaged in Westport.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/tesla-vehicles-vandalized-us-musk-began-white-house/story?id=119910817
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/03/17/encinitas-tesla-dealership-vandalized-with-swastikas-smashed-windows/
I don’t blame the Westport resident for selling their Tesla. I would sell a Tesla – if I owned one – but not for the same reason. I would sell it to prevent it from being vandalized or destroyed.
A few days ago, citizens in Encinitas, CA smashed windows and painted swastikas on cars at a Tesla dealership in protest against Elon Musk for being a Nazi (among other complaints):
“Multiple vehicles were found spray-painted with swastikas, several of the dealership’s windows had been smashed and messages with profanity were scrawled on walls, the Sheriff’s Office said in a release.”
These citizens followed the 1939 Nazi Germany playbook perfectly. What better way to protest against naziism than to act like a Nazi yourself? And yet many in this country will applaud this sort of behavior.
How sad that our country has devolved to such a state.
Was it January 6 at the Tesla dealership? Because then it’s legal.
Since when do two wrongs make a right?
Try to keep up.
Buy Chinese cars like BYD cost you 10k plus 10k in tariffs. Still winning.
Tesla stock 488 in December and 235 now. I predict the stock will overall lose a TRILLION dollars by April 5th!
> The Westporter is happy with her Hyundai. It recharges itself. She can go 400 miles on a tank of gas.
Electric cars are less expensive to refuel, more efficient to operate, and much less expensive to maintain.
More importantly, charging a car from the grid pollutes a lot less than an internal combustion engine (hybrid or not).
And if energy security is of concern, electricity is generated locally, compared to fuel gas which needs to be drilled elsewhere, refined in a very few places, and then transported to your local gas station.
It is not wise to write articles to encourage people to sell their Tesla or promote hybrid cars. I am not happy with Elon’s recent conduct or distractions from Tesla. There are many ordinary people who work at Tesla and who do not share Elon’s political views. As for Tesla stocks, keep in mind that Elon owns only 12% of Tesla.
Well said!
One of my sister-in-laws put an anti-Musk sticker on the back of her Tesla, because it’s paid for and her budget (and the child support payments she makes,) don’t allow for the purchase of an alternative vehicle. Another of my sister-in-laws drives hers with pride in the affiliation. As is their prerogatives.
Someone’s driving habits are more likely to cause me to judge them, but I entirely understand and empathize. To others who don’t want to sell but want to disconnect, I’ve heard that the badging and emblems can be removed easily using dental floss. Aftermarket badges can also be easily popped into their place, if you want.
Do what’s right for you, knowing that your behaviors, integrity, and responsibility in your everyday life carry much more weight in your life and community.