Musk supporter attempts to disrupt anti-Tesla protest with fireworks

Tensions flared at a protest against Elon Musk’s actions with the Department of Government Efficiency outside a Tesla showroom in Tampa on Saturday. There were some pro-MAGA disruptors whose actions erupted into physical confrontations. Many of the 125 plus anti-Musk protesters were peacefully holding signs to show their disapproval of DOGE cuts but a man wearing a red beanie and a black face mask entered the rally with a 6 inch bbq lighter and a black backpack containing fireworks in the other hand. When a woman tried to take his lighter, he punched her.

“Go home you **** Nazi.”
“Don’t touch him. Don’t touch him…whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.”

He claimed to be protesting with the anti-Musk protest at first, but when confronted about his bag of fireworks, he began writing “Go Musk” on the sidewalk as seen in a Facebook Live video taken by local activist Dave Coleman. Right-wing pundits from conservative media outlets like Kaitlyn Bennett came wearing shirts saying “No One Voted for Elon Musk,” as a way to mock anti-Musk protesters. Her two bodyguards refused to identify themselves, and protesters used a drum to drown out her attempts to mockingly interview demonstrators.

“Just to have fun and to interview them.”

Protesters like David Gough continued to hold signs in spite of the turmoil

“It’s not so much what they’re doing, but how they’re doing it, which is unconstitutional. It’s quite clear that only Congress can mess with funds or mess with the departments that they’ve created by law. Now we have an unlawful government breaking the Constitution left and right.”

Christa Fowler is a former USF Librarian, and she said she wanted to ask Musk to quote, “stop destroying our federal government.”

“…and he hasn’t been even checked out, which is the basic thing you would do at any employer, you would be checked out. He hasn’t even been checked no procedure, no accountability, and and ignoring our courts. I mean, you know, they’re saying bring those people back or stop doing what you’re doing or reinstate those digital files that you’ve destroyed and he’s not doing it.”

Standing with her was Susan Elbare, a retired social worker, she came with a hand-made sign. Listing agencies , which have faced recent cuts.

“Education, Forestry Service is getting hits. I kind of made my little sign that says only you can prevent this just like Smokey would be talk about fires of course, USAID I sent her books. She’s a librarian- I thought of her when I did that one. Rainbow flag. I have friends who are gay. I’ve read them, veterans because my father fought in World War I and II, and, my daughter’s grandfather was in D-Day and jumped behind enemy lines; was one of those airmen who I think 80% of his airborne were killed, so to honor him. And of course our Medicaid, Social Security is being threatened amongst many other things.”

Christoph Nord held a sign that said Patriots Support DOGE and an American Flag.

“Medicare, Medicaid, all these programs have fraud, waste, and abuse. They absolutely do. I believe they will be able to find cuts that won’t impact people that actually need that service.  I could be wrong, and we’ll see what happens, but something has to happen.”

The biggest portion of Musk’s estimated $340 billion fortune consists of his stock in the electric vehicle company, which continues to run while also working alongside Trump. After earlier demonstrations that were somewhat sporadic, Saturday marked the first attempt to surround all 277 of the automaker’s showrooms and service centers in the U.S. in hopes of deepening a recent decline in the company’s sales.