Megan Basham

And they were chanting and carrying signs saying things like no one elected Musk and drive Tesla out of business. But then in other areas like Manhattan, I would say the crowds were much more robust, much younger, much more energetic, and they were easily in the hundreds. And I'd say the key aim of these protests and this entire movement is to hit Musk where it hurts.

And they were chanting and carrying signs saying things like no one elected Musk and drive Tesla out of business. But then in other areas like Manhattan, I would say the crowds were much more robust, much younger, much more energetic, and they were easily in the hundreds. And I'd say the key aim of these protests and this entire movement is to hit Musk where it hurts.

They want to take down his electrical vehicle empire so that he backs off of all of these activities that he's been engaged in on behalf of the political right, especially his work cutting government waste with the Department of Government Efficiency. And you have to acknowledge they are having some success with that. Tesla sales are down. The value of used vehicles for Teslas are also down.

They want to take down his electrical vehicle empire so that he backs off of all of these activities that he's been engaged in on behalf of the political right, especially his work cutting government waste with the Department of Government Efficiency. And you have to acknowledge they are having some success with that. Tesla sales are down. The value of used vehicles for Teslas are also down.

But I do want to say for context, Tesla stock is up overall since the election.

But I do want to say for context, Tesla stock is up overall since the election.

You know, no evidence of that yet, but I would say that it looks like Musk realizes that he might be losing something of a PR battle here and he's stepping up his game on that front. So originally he said that he wanted to keep Doge analysts out of the spotlight to protect their privacy and safety. But on Friday, Doge leaders sat down with Fox News and they made their case to the American people.

You know, no evidence of that yet, but I would say that it looks like Musk realizes that he might be losing something of a PR battle here and he's stepping up his game on that front. So originally he said that he wanted to keep Doge analysts out of the spotlight to protect their privacy and safety. But on Friday, Doge leaders sat down with Fox News and they made their case to the American people.

This gave Musk a chance to dispel this image of Doge as just a bunch of young, inexperienced tech bros. What we saw instead were highly seasoned CEOs, scientists, people who took up the call to stop government spending out of patriotism. I want you to listen to this exchange between anchor Brett Baer and one of Doge's key leaders.

This gave Musk a chance to dispel this image of Doge as just a bunch of young, inexperienced tech bros. What we saw instead were highly seasoned CEOs, scientists, people who took up the call to stop government spending out of patriotism. I want you to listen to this exchange between anchor Brett Baer and one of Doge's key leaders.

And then another person on that Doge interview was Joe Gebbia, billionaire founder of Airbnb.

And then another person on that Doge interview was Joe Gebbia, billionaire founder of Airbnb.

So really just emphasizing that these are people who are highly experienced at streamlining very large budgets.

So really just emphasizing that these are people who are highly experienced at streamlining very large budgets.

Right. You know, so there's been a number of reports coming out about this, and the latest is a new one from the Fairfax Times in Virginia. What they have found is that this movement has been almost entirely bankrolled by professional protest organizations, firms like the Indivisible Project, which organized around 30 percent of these protests.

Right. You know, so there's been a number of reports coming out about this, and the latest is a new one from the Fairfax Times in Virginia. What they have found is that this movement has been almost entirely bankrolled by professional protest organizations, firms like the Indivisible Project, which organized around 30 percent of these protests.

Also, MoveOn.org, the Disruption Project, local Democratic Party chapters. And they're getting their funding from well-known left-wing operatives like George Soros. So emphasizing the very partisan nature of this. And look, this is a very typical play from the left when they are out of power.

Also, MoveOn.org, the Disruption Project, local Democratic Party chapters. And they're getting their funding from well-known left-wing operatives like George Soros. So emphasizing the very partisan nature of this. And look, this is a very typical play from the left when they are out of power.

But I would say we're seeing some things that are a little unusual on the right as we're seeing some pro-Doge rallies starting now. And those do seem to be organic. For example, you're even seeing some pastors of the more charismatic type holding sort of prayer rallies on behalf of Elon Musk and Doge.

But I would say we're seeing some things that are a little unusual on the right as we're seeing some pro-Doge rallies starting now. And those do seem to be organic. For example, you're even seeing some pastors of the more charismatic type holding sort of prayer rallies on behalf of Elon Musk and Doge.