The “Tesla Takedown” movement is planning its largest series of protests on Saturday — and supporters of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are gearing up for their own counterprotests.
Referred to as “Tesla Shield” in some of the social media posts on Facebook and X, the supporters are trying to organize an answer to the Tesla Takedown demonstrations.
The counter-protest effort appears to be smaller in nature. Business Insider identified fewer than a dozen posts organizing counter-protests. A Tesla Takedown organizer told Business Insider that more than 266 planned demonstrations had been confirmed, and the group was “getting updates hourly as new events are being added.”
One individual on X, who goes by the handle @PatriotDadEV2.0, wrote on March 23 that he “had enough” after seeing a group of protesters at a Tesla dealership in Columbus, and decided to “start an effort here to create a shield around the facility next time they show up.”
Their digital flyer, titled “Join the Tesla Shield,” has since been reposted by other accounts on Facebook and X.
Some are organizing counterprotests under different names. One user on X referred to the effort as “Takedown The Takedown” and shared details about a counterprotest planned for Saturday at a Tesla facility in Irvine, California.
“Are you disturbed by the recent attacks and vandalism against Tesla facilities and owners?” X user @MichaelPhan wrote in the post.
“Please make your own sign such as, “Thank you Elon” or, “I love Tesla” or whatever you want,” they added.
A pro-Trump organizer in New Jersey, Terry Beck, told NBC News that she was looking to organize a group of vehicles to meet protesters in Lawrenceville on Saturday.
She said she supported Musk’s work.
“He’s proven his record. I look up to him,” she told NBC News. “Every person should look up to him.”
Some pro-Trump and pro-Tesla counterprotests have already taken place in recent weeks.
One social media user posted a video on X showing a group of Trump supporters waving American flags while counter-protesting an anti-Musk protest in Westmont, Illinois in March. In Tennessee, counter-protesters also appeared at recent anti-Tesla protests, though some stumbled upon the event rather than organizing a formal effort, local publication The Tennessee Star reported on Monday.
Another social media user posted a video on March 22 of a Cybertruck driver chanting “USA” while driving past a Tesla protest in Tennessee.
Other Trump or Musk fans have suggested other ways to support the company. One user posted a poem about the cause on Truth Social and asked that people counter anti-Tesla efforts “by investing in Tesla stock” to show “unwavering support” for those helping MAGA efforts.
The pro-Tesla efforts come as Tesla protests and vandalism incidents have ramped up around the country in response to Musk’s political involvement with DOGE. Some of the incidents have involved graffiti, gunfire, and arson, pointed at Tesla buildings and vehicles.
Several arrests have been made, with the latest occurring on Thursday following the damage of five Tesla vehicles, three of which were destroyed by fire, resulting in arson charges.
The “Tesla Takedown” organization told BI that there were scheduled protests at Tesla dealerships and showrooms in Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
The protest organizers hosted a virtual planning session last week with over 6,000 attendees, the organizers said. They said the Tesla Takedown movement stands for peaceful and nonviolent protests.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
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