How Much Money MAGA Supporters Are Really Spending On Tesla Cars

In addition to being President Donald Trump's right-hand man, Elon Musk is also CEO of Tesla, an electric vehicle and robotics company. While Tesla was once the hottest name in the EV market, its market share has undergone a miserable makeover. While Tesla shares enjoyed a Trump bump around Inauguration Day, the company is dealing with a Trump slump months later. Ever since Musk and Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (or DOGE) began cutting jobs and services, increasing numbers of Tesla customers have cut ties with the company. In fact, the Tesla Takedown initiative even calls for former Tesla supporters to dump their stocks, sell their Teslas, and hold peaceful demonstrations at Tesla showrooms. Additionally, there have also been violent attacks and vandalism at Tesla dealerships, with instances growing around the globe.

Musk has been instrumental to DOGE's threats to Social Security, as well as behind DOGE's closures of physical Social Security offices. He has also had a hand in other cuts to jobs and services that Americans rely on so public outcry against him isn't surprising. Nor is the fact that such outcry has led to Tesla stocks tanking, board members dumping shares, and even top Tesla investors calling for Musk to step down as CEO. However, what is surprising is that Trump has encouraged his MAGA supporters to save Tesla by buying up the now not-so-wanted cars. While this has slightly boosted sales, the likelihood of MAGA supporters saving Tesla through their own purchases alone is about as likely as finding an EV charging stations on Mars.

Can MAGA save Tesla when the company's stocks and sales are rapidly losing charge? Maybe — but only if conservative MAGA supporters take a big left turn when it comes to clean energy, and are willing to pay between $40,000 and $90,000. Tesla's high-end EV cars once held appeal for customers concerned with cleaner energy and a reduced reliance on fossil fuels. Being "green" has largely been labeled a liberal or progressive stance within today's sharply divided political culture. In fact, according to surveys from automotive research firm, Strategic Vision, that have been conducted since 2016, EV buyers were four times as likely to self-identify as Democrats, with twice as many identifying as Democrats than Republicans. However, through 2024 that dynamic has shifted sharply. As Musk has become more aligned with Trump, so have Tesla purchasers. Now, 30% of Tesla buyers identify as Republican to 29% Democrat.

This shift in customer base wouldn't be so bad for Tesla except that conservative buyers aren't replacing previous Tesla purchasers one-to-one. While Tesla sales have risen in the 31 states that Trump won, delivery projections for 2025 are lower than Tesla's last lowest-sales year in 2022. That said, MAGA supporters alone will probably not be able to revive interest in electric vehicles. It's not just Democrats that are forgetting about Tesla — Strategic Vision surveys also found that while 22% of American car owners were interested in luxury EVs like Tesla five years ago, now only 8% of car owners polled reported being interested.

Even though Trump recently turned the White House into a Tesla showroom, other Republicans have skipped promoting Teslas. Not only are Tesla models expensive, but like all EVs, they require a more robust nationwide charging infrastructure than currently exists — infrastructure that goes against the current priorities of MAGA leaders and supporters. With that said, it remains to be seen if Tesla can rebrand as an EV company for conservatives. It doesn't help that Tesla is also in the midst of major recalls due to Cybertruck panels that literally fall off. Plus, Musk seems to be more interested in Tesla's robotics future rather than its troubled EV present, and has urged shareholders to hold onto Tesla stock in the name of Optimus robots, not vehicles. 

While investors may be panicked about Musk tanking Tesla, even after losing billions from Tesla's downslide, Musk is still the richest man in the world –- and his alliance with Trump stands to make him even richer. According to the Washington Post, Musk's companies have received $38 billion in government contracts over the last 20 years and, in exchange for $290 million in contributions to Trump's campaign, Musk, an unelected official, now holds a vast amount of influence over how additional government money should be spent. While the idea of Musk buying the American government for his own profit has clearly turned off many left-leaning EV drivers, it remains to be seen if that same concept will shut the wallets of MAGA supporters — or if Musk would even notice.