More than 100 protesters and counter-protesters gathered Saturday at the Tesla dealership in Golden Valley, Minn. The event marked the 20th week of the “Tesla Takedown” protests targeting Elon Musk’s business. Around 20 counter-protesters arrived at 8:45 a.m., with about 80 protesters joining from 9 to 10:30 a.m., peaking at 11 a.m.
Counter-protesters waved Trump flags and held signs reading “FIX THIS, America Needs You BOTH!” and “Thank you Elon,” referencing the recent fallout between Musk and the president.
Anti-Musk protesters displayed signs reading “F*** u Musk,” “Don’t buy a fake truck from a real Nazi,” and “The bromance is over, but the dual threat is not.”
Protesters chanted: “What does democracy look like? This is what democracy looks like!”
The demonstrations, ongoing for 20 weeks, have drawn anywhere from 5-600 protesters, according to counter-protesters Robert and Becky.
Becky, a South Dakota resident who voted Democrat until 2016, launched the counter-protest in February.
“That first week I just decided I’m gonna go. I didn’t know if there would be other people there on the right,” she said. A member of Front Row Joes—a group recognized by President Donald Trump for securing front-row spots at his rallies—she stood alone against hundreds of protesters, vowing, “I’m gonna out-wait them. I’m gonna be the first one there. I’m gonna be the last one to leave.”
Becky described the protests: “They began what they call these Tesla takedowns all around the country where they were protests, they were gatherings. The left would gather, they would hold signs and basically do everything they could to try to make the Tesla vehicles look bad, as well as try to make Elon look bad.”
“I don’t think they should be attacking this man. He’s done nothing worthy of this behavior,” she added, defending Musk’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Now joined by groups like Front Row Joes and Bikers for Trump, Becky noted the ratio improved from 600-to-1 to roughly 80-to-20 on Saturday.
Robert, a counter-protester who joined in May, said, “We had no idea that as many as 600 people were ganging up on a single woman.”
Becky noted, “nobody has ever been violent. I never felt threatened,” but she has faced hostility.
“They yell names at you. They use the F word fluently” while “shouting chants and I mean just like screaming at me,” Becky commented. Protesters have obstructed her sign or thrown theirs onto cars, requiring police intervention, she said.
Becky, however, found some common ground with opponents, saying, “We have a lot more in common than what you think.”
“Somebody has to stand up against the bully,” Becky said, vowing to continue despite recent disputes between Trump and Musk. “We’re all gonna disagree about things, but we can still be polite.”
Symone Harms
Symone Harms is a Media Production and Business Marketing student at Bethel University. She is actively involved in The Royals Investment Fund, The 25, theatre, and other leadership positions. She also cohosts Rooted, a podcast dedicated to being rooted in truth, growing in freedom, and prospering in life. A Minnesota native with a passion for storytelling and digital media, she aspires to a career in broadcasting as a news anchor and reporter.
