Twice a week, protesters take to the sidewalk in front of the Tesla dealership in Waikiki to speak out against President Donald Trump, Tesla CEO billionaire Elon Musk and their policies.
They chant, “Hey, hey, ho, ho! Elon Musk has got to go!” and wave signs saying, “No One Elected Elon” and “No Nazis, Only Aloha.”
The evening protests, ongoing since early March along Kalakaua Avenue at the International Market Place, call for people to target Musk’s finances by trading in their Teslas, divesting their Tesla stock and deleting their X accounts.
The largest local rally, which drew about 200 to Waikiki on March 30, was part of a global “Tesla Takedown” movement that claims “hurting Tesla is stopping Musk” and that “stopping Musk will help save lives.”
On a global scale, it appears to be having an impact as Tesla’s quarterly sales plunged 13%, its worst quarter in nearly three years.
Tesla is among the most popular electric vehicles in Hawaii, which promotes EVs as a key part of reaching the state’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2045. But the brand has now become a lightning rod of controversy here and abroad due to its association with Musk, the company’s CEO.
The anti-Musk sentiment has not only hurt Tesla sales, but it also has turned ugly with vehicles being vandalized and some Tesla dealerships in the United States and Europe being targeted by arsonists. In Hawaii there have been scattered reports of Tesla vehicles being targeted.
But Hawaii community activist and artist Gaye Chan, who has joined the local protests, said the rallies are billed as peaceful, and organizers do not support vandalism or have ill will toward Tesla dealership employees.
Chan said she had to take a stand because, “personally, I can’t act like everything is normal, and I don’t think ranting on the internet is a good fit for me.”
She said she’s joined the rallies, which sprang up from grassroots groups such as 50501 Hawaii and Indivisible Hawaii, for solidarity with others feeling the same way. Sometimes, visitors from Canada and Australia join in spontaneously.
Chan is concerned that the Trump-created Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk leads, has cut funds for cancer research, special education and school lunches, and has fired workers from the National Park Service, Social Security and Federal Aviation administrations, and more.
“These are horrible,” she said. “It’s endless. I don’t even know how long the list is. I’m all for minimizing government and efficiency, but this is not what they’re doing. It’s a pretense. It looks to me like it’s some kind of takeover because they want tax cuts for billionaires, so they’ve got to get the money from elsewhere.”
The more Musk does, the more people are angry and fearful, she said.
Camron Hurt, program director of Common Cause Hawaii, said Musk “is 100% acting as an oligarch” and is using his wealth to gain access to the White House and influence decisions that hurt everyday Americans,
“This person represents an immediate, direct threat to our democracy, and he doesn’t care,” said Hurt. “The time is now to truly defend America in its most democratic way,” said Hurt, noting that DOGE is gutting federal agencies and firing thousands of federal workers.
The gutting continued Friday, with layoffs of more than 20,000 IRS workers and the closure of its civil rights office.
“Sometimes it seems chaotic, and other times it seems very intentional,” Chan said.
The Waikiki rally on March 30 drew dueling protests across from one another on Kalakaua Avenue.
In front of the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, dozens of Trump supporters donning red MAGA caps and waving American flags, defended Trump and his policies. One danced around with a flag that said, “Jesus Is My Savior, Trump Is My President.” They said they supported what Trump and Musk were doing to end government waste, fraud and abuse.
Inside the Tesla dealership, meanwhile, the air was cool and the place empty. A new Tesla Cybertruck and 2025 Model X with open falcon wing doors were on display.
An employee working during the rally declined to comment. When called the following day for an opportunity to comment on the protest, a representative also said, “No comment.”
Tesla tops in Hawaii
Teslas are among the top-selling brands for new cars and most popular of EVs in the state, according to the most recent Hawaii Auto Outlook report.
Tesla sedans are ubiquitous on Oahu’s roadways, occupying many of the state’s charging stations. Tesla Cybertrucks also have been spotted on Oahu.
Hawaii embraces Teslas as part of the green energy movement. Even the state Department of Transportation has a service contract for Teslas as part of efforts to electrify its entire light-duty fleet.
The Hawaii Auto Outlook’s fourth-quarter 2024 report places Tesla at No. 3 for top-selling new car brands, with 8% of the market share in the state, behind Honda at No. 2 and Toyota at No. 1.
In brand sales performance, Tesla Model Y took the No. 2 spot, behind the Toyota Tacoma at No. 1. Among electric and hybrid vehicles, Tesla Model Y had the top market share.
State registrations for Teslas, however, experienced a 3% drop in 2024 when compared with 2023.
Tesla vehicles, meanwhile, have become a target for vandalism across the globe — from Molotov cocktails thrown at cars in Las Vegas to torchings in Rome and the spray-painting of swastikas on car doors.
The FBI has referred to these attacks against Teslas as “domestic terrorism” and launched a task force to investigate them, vowing to pursue perpetrators.
But reports of vandalism in Hawaii have been limited.
Tesla targets
On Oahu a few social media posts show a man spitting on a Tesla and others appearing to key Tesla sedans in parking lots. In one case a pickup truck is caught on camera backing into a Tesla parked at Pearlridge Center and then taking off.
Teslas are equipped with cameras on all four sides and can capture footage of these incidents.
Honolulu police classified the case as a “fled scene,” said both owners were contacted, and the Tesla owner decided not to pursue charges.
Tesla owners are hesitant to talk about it, with many declining to be interviewed for this story. The Tesla Hawaii Club, contacted by email, did not respond to a request for an interview.
Noel Morin, ambassador for the Hawaii EV Association, said many Tesla owners bought their cars years before the election. The group promotes EVs as part of the green energy future, as transportation accounts for about 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the state.
Morin himself drives a 2013 Model S, which he purchased more than a decade ago. His wife drives a Model X. Personally, he has not experienced animosity on the roads of Hawaii island.
“Decisions were made on No. 1, on the quality of the product and the fact it was the first company to trigger the revolution to clean transportation,” he said. “They certainly were a catalyst for changes we’ve seen across the industry.”
Morin credits Tesla for making EVs the “next big thing in transportation,” and being a “halo of innovation” for other companies.
However, he said, the brand has become synonymous with CEO Musk, which is unusual.
“From a Hawaii EV perspective, the really positive thing is that consumers have a choice,” he said. “They don’t have to buy a Tesla to be able to achieve or experience the benefits of an EV.”
Today there are plenty of EVs to choose from at a variety of price ranges — from Toyota to Ford, Nissan, Kia, Volvo, BMW, Rivian and others.
“The reality is it’s an economic decision,” he said. “For us, an EV is an EV, and there are many choices out there.”
Anti-Elon stickers
Regardless of political affiliation, Tesla owners seem to have been swept into the politics.
Some Oahu Tesla owners, who declined to give their names, cited some incidents of hostility while on the road, whether it was being flipped off or tailgated aggressively. Some have placed anti-Elon stickers or magnets on their Teslas.
Matthew Hiller of Honolulu-based Mad Puffer Stickers sells ones that say, “I Got This Before Elon Went Crazy” and “Anti-Elon Tesla Club.” One of his newer ones says, “Elon Killed My Resale Value.”
Hiller said sales of the stickers, which he designed for fun in 2023, have picked up tremendously on Etsy and Amazon. He said he sells hundreds a day. Most orders were coming from California, Texas and New York, but demand is now global.
“Recently, there’s been a big uptick,” he said. “I’ve been shipping a lot more in Hawaii lately.”
The running joke is that the stickers are a disclaimer and a sort of insurance policy against vandalism.
But there is no guarantee, according to a local Tesla driver, who preferred not to disclose her identity. She said she does not support Trump or Musk, but was shaken after being tailgated aggressively.
It was unclear, however, whether it was due to the Tesla, the anti-Elon sticker or the rainbow sticker on her car. For the time being, she has opted to drive her other car, a Subaru.
At the Waikiki protests, so far there has been only one known scuffle. One protester, wearing a pro-Trump tank top, was arrested at the Sunday rally on suspicion of third-degree assault after allegedly punching a teen putting a sticker on a light pole, police said.
Chan said if MAGA Trump supporters now want to go out and buy a Tesla in support of Musk, she would welcome it.
“I mean, if all of a sudden they want to support green energy, better than gas-guzzling cars,” she said. “That’s a win-win, no loss there.”
Protesters said their rallies in Waikiki will continue on Wednesdays and Fridays.
