CATALINA FOOTHILLS, Ariz. (KGUN) — Every two weeks, hundreds of Tucsonans spend their Saturday morning outside a Tesla dealership by River and Oracle. They're marching, chanting, and holding signs against the actions of President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
“I cannot believe what’s happening to my country,” said Sheila Scanlan. She's a retired environmental science teacher.
“All of the sudden, a guy that we didn’t elect is using all his money and power to completely take down things that are near and dear to my heart.”
“We feel we have to defend our democracy,” said Phineas Anderson. He organized this series of protests starting back in February.
“We have no problem with the car," Anderson said. "We congratulate his efforts on climate change. Unfortunately, he’s doing inhumane things."
Anderson cited things like mass layoffs of government employees and attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
The new presidential administration has embraced Musk and DOGE, turning Teslas to the White House lawn into a temporary Tesla showroom for the president on March 11.
“He’s able to find billions and billions and billions of dollars of fraud and waste and all other things," Trump said. "I mean out country’s going to be very strong very soon because of a lot of the things he’s done and a lot of the things I’m doing.”
But public opinion has shifted for some.
“Back in the day, I thought he was fantastic," Scanlan said. "He was using a new technology to protect our environment. Now, he’s using all of that money to circumvent laws established by Congress.”
Tesla's stock has plummeted, falling 38% since Trump's inauguration.
As incidents of vandalism on Tesla vehicles, chargers and buildings pop up across the United States and Canada, the Federal Bureau of Investigation created a task force Monday dedicated to investigating Tesla vandalism.
"This is domestic terrorism," Director Kash Patel posted on X. "Those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice."
Anderson says these protests have been and will continue to be peaceful.
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Alex Dowd is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9, where her work combines her two favorite hobbies: talking to new people and learning about the community around her. Her goal is to eventually meet every single person in Tucson. Share your story ideas with Alex via email, alex.dowd@kgun9.com, or connecting on Instagram or X.
