Some drivers say they're ditching Tesla over Elon Musk's politics: 'I don't want Tesla cars to become the new MAGA hat'
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- Car buyers are canceling Tesla reservations over Elon Musk's behavior on Twitter, CNN reported.
- Some said they would ditch the brand, while others were more likely to support it.
- Musk has sparred with Biden and called Democrats the party of "division & hate" in recent months.
Several drivers told CNN they've backed out of purchasing a Tesla due to Elon Musk's political views.
In interviews with 12 recent car buyers, multiple drivers told the network they had ditched a Tesla product -- leaving deposits as high as $250 on the table -- because of Musk's recent behavior on Twitter.
"I don't want Tesla cars to become the new MAGA hat," Scott Wilson, a Tesla driver who is considering canceling a second order, told CNN. "I don't want to be seen as a rich jerk, and I don't want to be seen as a political conservative, libertarian free speech warrior."
Over the past few months, the Tesla CEO has become more outspoken on politics - sparring with President Joe Biden on Twitter, calling Democrats the party of "division & hate", and comparing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Hitler. In May, the billionaire said he would begin voting for the Republican Party in the upcoming presidential election and later announced support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a potential 2024 presidential candidate.
News of Musk's decision to switch political parties came days before Insider released an investigation that revealed SpaceX had paid a former flight attendant $250,000 after she accused Musk of sexually harassing her. Musk told Insider at the time that there was "a lot more to the story," but later joked about the allegations on Twitter.
"If someone wants to spend money at Hobby Lobby, or Chick-fil-A or Tesla, they can do that," Steven Kronenberg, a California man who canceled a Tesla solar roof installation, told CNN Business. "I have plenty of other options."
Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby are known to promote conservative Christian values and have taken stances against the LGBTQ community in the past.
While some car buyers said Musk's behavior on Twitter had repelled them from his company, others said they were more likely to support the billionaire now, CNN reported.
In May, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he was considering buying a Tesla after the electric-car maker moved its corporate headquarters to Texas in December, according to Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said she's considering ditching her Tesla in favor of a car made by a unionized workforce. Musk repeatedly has spoken out against the United Autoworkers Union and has been accused of threatening workers who have attempted to unionize.
Politics have become increasingly involved in consumer buying habits, according to a report from Reuters in June. The publication said that consumer boycotts escalated in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
An April survey from the online loan marketplace LendingTree found that about 25% of Americans are ditching a company or product they have bought in the past over political concerns, as well as issues related to how the company treats its employees.
Read CNN's full story on its website.