Extreme Commanders

Tesla’s monthly sales in Europe plunge by half, signaling backlash against Musk runs deep

Tesla sales across Europe plunged by half last month even as growth in the electric car market picked up pace, according to data released Tuesday.

The numbers are the latest indication of how much the Tesla brand is suffering because of the backlash against billionaire CEO Elon Musk over his far-right views.

Sales of Tesla vehicles in 32 European countries tumbled 49% to 7,261 in April from 14,228 in the same month the previous year, according to the figures released by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, or ACEA.

At the same time, sales of battery-electric vehicles by all manufacturers rose about 28%. Meanwhile, sales of gasoline and diesel powered cars slumped.

The figures, which cover the European Union’s 27 member countries and five other nations outside the bloc, back up early data from Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark released at the start of this month that had pointed to a sales collapse.

Tesla has been reeling from protests and boycotts over Musk wading into politics, but it also faces other factors including an aging model lineup and intensifying competition from rival electric vehicle brands, particularly from China.

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A Disillusioned Musk, Distanced From Trump, Says He’s Exiting Washington

Elon Musk took a swipe at President Trump’s signature domestic policy legislation, saying it would add to the national deficit. He complained to administration officials about a lucrative deal that went to a rival company to build an artificial-intelligence data center in the Middle East. And he has yet to make good on a $100 million pledge to Trump’s political operation.

Mr. Musk, who once called himself the president’s “first buddy,” is now operating with some distance from Mr. Trump as he says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies. Mr. Musk remains on good terms with Mr. Trump, according to White House officials. But he has also made it clear that he is disillusioned with Washington and frustrated with the obstacles he encountered as he upended the federal bureaucracy, raising questions about the strength of the alliance between the president and the world’s richest man.

Mr. Musk was the biggest known political spender in the 2024 election, and he told Mr. Trump’s advisers this year that he would give $100 million to groups controlled by the president’s team before the 2026 midterms. As of this week, the money hasn’t come in yet, according to multiple people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the behind-the-scenes dynamic.

Mr. Musk did not respond to a request for comment. In a post on X, his social media site, on Wednesday night, he officially confirmed for the first time that his stint as a government employee was coming to an end and thanked Mr. Trump “for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.”

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Musk burned through a lot of reputational value to achieve essentially nothing.

Elon Musk Reportedly Owes Donald Trump a Colossal Sum of Money

Billionaire Elon Musk reportedly still owes president Donald Trump an eye-watering $100 million out of the $300 million he committed to get the reality TV star elected.

That's according to the Wall Street Journal, which reports that now that the bromance between the two has seemingly ground to a halt, Musk isn't keeping the cash flowing. Trump's advisors said that the latest $100 million check hasn't arrived yet, in perhaps the most concrete sign yet of a widening rift between the two larger-than-life figures.

Just last week, Musk showed up at his own White House goodbye party with a mysterious black eye, the perfect symbol for a bruising couple of weeks marked by heated exchanges and an alleged brawl.

Though Musk and Trump had an intense public friendship over the course of the election and the early days of the administration, the White House has increasingly been resorting to damage control to keep a raging Musk in check.

Most recently, according to the WSJ, Musk became so incensed after learning of a meeting between Trump and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman — one of his most reviled enemies — that the meeting was pushed back to appease him. Altman ended up never appearing at a planned public event with Trump, per the WSJ.

Musk has maintained that his efforts to brutally slash government agency budgets were never taken seriously enough in Washington, while Trump officials have mocked him for his childish demeanor and cringe humor.

According to the WSJ, Musk's decision-making at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency frequently went behind the backs of Trump officials, forcing the president himself to appoint Musk a babysitter.

Musk has frequently butted heads with key Trump appointees and was reportedly furious about the president's plans to roll out extreme tariffs, which have caused endless chaos for the global economy.

Last month, Musk also turned against Trump's so-called "big, beautiful bill," arguing it was needlessly adding trillions of dollars to the deficit and "undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing," he told CBS News.

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