After he climbed into a Tesla model last week, President Trump promised to buy one. The next day the Fox News -Gastheer Sean Hannity said he had bought a plaid from a model to support the controversial company and said that a Tesla has “more American parts than any other car made in our country.”
In a return to the recoil against the tactics of the Department of Government Efficiency of Elon Musk, prominent conservatives on the side of the electric car company led by Mr. Musk. They hope to swing sufficiently like -minded consumers to compensate for a boycott of the electric automaker by liberals and Democrats or insulted someone by Mr.'s actions. Musk.
But how effective can such a rescue mission be? Analysts say it can only help to a certain extent.
So many democratic buyers seem to flee Tesla that even Mr. Trump's best sales pitch will probably not chase enough new customers to fill the vacuum, said car experts. Analysts at JPMorgan predict that Tesla will deliver its least cars in the first quarter than in three years.
“If you make your product unattractive for half of the market, I promise you that you will not increase your sale,” said Alexander Edwards, president of Strategic Vision, a research and consultancy firm for cars.
Mr. Edwards has been investigating car buyers for decades. Since 2016, the surveys have established that owners of electric cars up to four times as much chance of identifying themselves as Democrats or Liberals that they identified as republican or conservative. Among Tesla owners, the spread was consistently two on one.
The gap narrowed strongly until 2024. This year, as the turnover has fallen, slightly more Tesla buyers identify themselves as Republicans than Democrats, by 30 percent versus 29 percent.
“Democrats flee the brand and say they will not consider it in the future, so there is of course a larger part of the Republican and independent buyers,” said Mr Edwards.
He said Democrats first started losing the interest in Tesla when Mr. Musk Twitter bought, now X, in 2022. When, last July, when Mr. Musk publicly supported Mr. Trump, the share of Democrats who said they would “certainly consider”, a Tesla fell by half.
In general, about 8 percent of car owners would certainly consider a Tesla, according to the surveys of Mr Edwards. Compared to 22 percent, that is five years ago, when Tesla is often at the top of the ranking of luxury brands that would consider buyers.
Tesla's slipping sales, he said, “are usually, if not complete, attributed to the statements and behavior of Elon Musk.”
The automaker did not respond to a request for comments.
Tesla remains the best -selling brand for electric vehicles by far by around 44 percent of the market, despite a decrease of 5.6 percent in American sales, to around 634,000 cars in 2024, according to Kelley Blue Book. Many drivers are determined to hold on to the pioneer of electric vehicles, whose cars can travel hundreds of kilometers and can easily be added to the extensive loading network of the company.
Josh Anders, 44, exchanged a petrol-powered sports utility for a Tesla Model 3 in 2019. A resident of Fort Wayne, Ind., He was blown away by the energy efficiency, technology and limited maintenance needs of the car. He soon exchanged for someone else and is about to receive the latest model Y SUV
“Owning a Tesla was one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I will stay there,” the Lord said differently. “I would love a Rivian R1's, but I can't afford it. I am a tech man and I love all functions and innovations. “
The Lord Anders, a father of four and creative director of a Christian non -profit music and art organization, said he leans conservatively and feels uncomfortable with Boycots.
“Elon is not perfect, and Tesla is not perfect, but it is a community of dreamers and doers. I appreciate a brand that constantly pushes the limits, “he said. “I don't need every company to share my beliefs. I just need them to share an obligation to progress. “
Yet cars have a long history of being part of the political struggle.
The Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid introduced in 2011 after General Motors received federal government support, was mocked by some conservatives such as the 'Obamacar'. The fuel-sipping Toyota Prius and the Gas-Guzzling Hummer from GM were often praised and attacked by people at the opposite ends of the political spectrum.
Isaac Seliger, a business owner and subsidy writer in Scottsdale, Ariz., Said he had had little interest in electric vehicles, although his son, who recently died, was a dedicated fan of Tesla.
Now, the Lord Seliger, who described himself as politically independent, he is determined to buy a Tesla because he wants to defy group thinking and polarization. A friend told him she would stop talking to him if he did.
“Like a former Lefty and Anti -War man, this makes me all want to buy a Tesla lake,” said Mr. Seliger, 73,. “I will definitely make a political statement. But when I have bought a Porsche Macan, that is also an explanation where people hate you an annoying older Porsche driver. “
Mr. Seliger added that he found criticism from Mr. Musk.
'So Elon was a hero from the left, and now he is a Nazi? That's just crazy, “he said. “He seems like a smart guy who makes great things.”
For many people who have faith in Tesla and Mr. Musk, the sales and share price of the company, which falls around 48 percent compared to a high in December, will eventually recover. The share increased by 12 percent during the last four days of the trade.
But some car experts say that Tesla may struggle because the company has not regularly updated its cars or has introduced new models. Moreover, the Chargers of the company, which can once only be used by Teslas, open access to almost every big competitor, said Loren McDonald, chief analyst at Paren, a data agency for charging electric vehicles. And other car manufacturers offer new electric models, often with remarkably affordable monthly payments.
“He quickly loses the benefits in reach, technology, value and convenience that people brought to Tesla,” said Mr. McDonald. “For many people it is time to continue and try something new.”
Of course, most buyers do not opt for cars based on politics. But the image of a brand is important. Tesla's sale decreased, even when the total sale of American electric vehicles grew by 7.3 percent in 2024 to 1.3 million. Mr Edwards said that Mr. Musk made it too easy for people to shop elsewhere.
“People can love their Hyundai, GM, Rivian or BMW just as much,” he said.
Republicans certainly buy electric cars, but fewer of them have aroused the leap to fully electric models. National states, where Republicans exceed the number of Democrats, have fewer chargers than more urban states. Strategic vision data shows that Republicans work outdoors more often and are less willing to tolerate discomfort, such as long -term stops. And a research study from 2024 showed that more Republicans than Democrats say that electric vehicles are too much and less reliable than petrol cars.
In the metropolitan area of New York, the new Tesla registrations of the country of the country fell the registrations of Tesla by 13 percent, up to 47,000 cars, in 2024, according to S&P Global Mobility. In the same year, more than 101,000 people registered a Tesla in Los Angeles, the second largest market, a decrease of 8 percent. Yet almost one in eight new cars in Los Angeles was a Tesla. In the San Francisco Bay Area, where Tesla was founded, almost one in five new cars was a Tesla. But the turnover fell 17 percent to 54,000 cars.
Consumers in the Houston region bought 12,000 Teslas. But residents of Bay Area bought 4.5 times as much Teslas, in a smaller market for new cars in general. Some areas saw large increases, including Miami Fort Lauderdale, where sales rose 32 percent, to nearly 23,000 cars, in 2024. Tesla sale also rose sharply in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and St. Louis. But the profit of the company in these places could not compensate in larger, more liberal metro areas.
Experts say that rich conservatives such as Mr Hannity and Mr. Trump have the disposable income to make a personal car statement by choosing a Tesla. But they may not be able to convince Americans of more modest resources.
Mr. McDonald also noted that Mr Trump and other conservatives had spent years of electric cars, spotting climate change and criticizing the climate and car policy of former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
“The messages is inconsistent,” said Mr. McDonald. “Is the man in Arkansas who now drives a ram -pick -up to buy a Tesla? How far can you go against your own beliefs to support Elon Musk? “
