'Astroturf': Critics speculate Tesla protests are not a grassroots movement, but carefully organized campaign
Protests unfolded outside of Tesla showrooms across the country this weekend over Elon Musk's role helping lead President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, sparking questions to fly as to who is funding the purported "grassroots" demonstrations.
"Who is funding and organizing all these paid protests?" Musk posted to X early Sunday morning, accompanied by a video clip of podcast host Joe Rogan discussing left-wing protests in recent days.
A "Tesla Takedown" movement formed in recent days, with more than 200 protests planned on Saturday in the U.S., and another few hundred planned protests in Canada and Europe as part of the "global day of action." In the U.S. the protests slated for Saturday were promoted by actors, filmmakers, congressional legislators, academics and activists who led a "mass mobilizing call" last week to rally support, and described in the media as a "grassroots" effort to buck Musk and Trump, while working to tank Tesla's stock.
Tesla locations have faced violence in recent weeks as Musk and his DOGE team investigate federal agencies in search of government overspending, fraud and mismanagement, while critics accuse the Trump administration of creating an "oligarchy" by tapping the billionaire to help streamline federal government operations.
DOGE is a temporary cross-departmental organization that was established to slim down and streamline the federal government. The group will be dissolved on July 4, 2026.
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The protests on Saturday were billed as "nonviolent" and showcased people line dancing outside Teslas stores while holding anti-swastika and anti-Musk signs. Others protested for a couple of hours outside of Tesla dealerships, local media outlets reported, with some holding signs reading "DON'T BUY SWASTICAR," or "Nobody elected Elon."
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The U.S. protests on Saturday stretched from New York to Maryland to Texas to California. Many of the rallies saw dozens of protesters, while larger protests, such as one in Chicago, drew crowds of over 100 people, and another in New York drew hundreds of protesters, various media reports show.
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"Tesla Takedown is a peaceful protest movement. We oppose violence, vandalism and destruction of property. This protest is a lawful exercise of our First Amendment right to peaceful assembly," the Action Network, a left-wing advocacy group, described the nationwide protests online.
"Rally attenders must be peaceful and nonviolent," another left-wing group, Indivisible, described a protest in New Jersey, which included directions on what to chant at passersby. "No vandalism of Tesla cars or stores; or insults of Tesla drivers permitted! When Tesla drivers pass we will chant, 'Sell your Tesla, Trade it in! instead of booing. STAY OFF THE ROADWAY! It is legal for protesters to be on the sidewalk but NOT to be on the roadway or block entrances to businesses, including Tesla. STAY OFF TESLA PROPERTY! We are not allowed on any private property. Indivisible policy forbids engaging with counter protesters (and other protestors) this is for the safety of all people."
A local news outlet, media personalities and conservative critics have speculated that the recent anti-Tesla protests are embroiled in "astroturfing," which is defined by Merriam-Webster as a campaign "falsely made to appear grassroots."
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"I know when something is AstroTurf. Fun fact: I was among the first reporters (if not first) to put the concept of 'Astro Turf' lobbying into the pages of the Wall Street Journal as an international trade reporter," former Wall Street Journal correspondent Asra Nomani posted to X after reporting on a Tesla protest last Saturday in Tysons, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C.
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"While local #TeslaTakedown protests may appear spontaneous and community-driven, they are the product of well-funded, tightly coordinated campaigns led by national political organizations like the Indivisible Project, http://MoveOn.org, and professional protest firms," Nomani continued.
Nomani authored a piece in the Fairfax Times titled, "Local #TeslaTakedown reveals 'grassroots' protests are AstroTurf."
"These groups use digital platforms, pre-scripted chants, pre-printed signs, and nationwide toolkits to manufacture the appearance of grassroots activism, and the messages on Tyco Road mirror the language of protests nationwide. This kind of organizing is known as 'AstroTurfing' – a term used to describe top-down efforts that mimic authentic, bottom-up civic engagement," she continued on X.
Podcast host Joe Rogan, in a clip shared by Musk, speculated that protesters in past days were receiving money to take part in the anti-Tesla protests.
"For a lot of losers, a lot of people who don't have things going well in their life, and I was a loser at many points in my life, is somebody called me up and said, 'Hey man, want to make 400 bucks an just go to this Kamala Harris rally?' I'm like, 'Yeah, let's go,'" "Joe Rogan Experience" released on Saturday.
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"They were giving out $1,000 bucks for people to protest, I think it was Tesla. They had like the rules of engagement if someone comes after you… are you organizing gangs? Are you guys paying money for people and then literally saying to them, 'Here's what happens if you engage in violence?' Why is that even on the table? I thought this was peaceful protesting," he continued, noting he has not seen any reports of pro-Tesla individuals waging violence.
Other X users took to social media to speculate and accuse the Tesla protests of being an example of astroturfing.
"ASTROTURF: Rep Jasmine Crockett is working with the Soros-backed paid protest group 'Indivisible' to organize canned protests at Tesla stores across the US. Here the Democrat congresswoman is asking for Elon to be 'taken down' for her birthday," popular conservative X account Amuse posted to X.
"NEW: Tesla protesters stop protesting at the Southlake Texas Tesla store the moment clock read 12 PM, according to @Carlos__Turcios. 'They all immediately left the minute it was 12:00 pm.' Odd," Trending Politics co-owner Colin Rugg posted to X.
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Reports that some protesters packed their bags at exactly noon in Texas sparked further accusations of "astroturfing," including one user who responded to Rugg saying, "Paid astroturf. This entire op is fake. Follow the money."
Seattle radio host Jason Rantz shared a photo on X showing a Tesla protester holding a sheet of scripted chants to reportedly deliver during a demonstration, which Musk called "interesting" in a response X post.
Fox News Digital reached out to Indivisible, the Action Network and MoveOn.org regarding the astroturf speculation on Sunday morning, but did not immediately receive comment.
The protests on Saturday were overwhelmingly peaceful. Department of Justice chief Pam Bondi previously vowed earlier this month that violent protesters who attack and cause damage at Tesla showrooms and other properties will face the full force of the law.
"The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended," Bondi said. "Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars."
A Las Vegas man was arrested earlier this month for his alleged involvement in a Molotov cocktail attack on a Tesla property. The suspect in that case faces a bevy of felony charges, including three counts of arson, three counts of possession of an explosive device, five counts of shooting into a car and four counts of destroying personal property, according to local police.
Musk remarked on X on Saturday that it is "insanely ironic" that "the people shooting bullets into Tesla stores, burning down cars and generally being violent are calling me a Nazi when I have done literally zero violence at all."
Fox News Digital's Alec Schemmel contributed to this report. Original article source: 'Astroturf': Critics speculate Tesla protests are not a grassroots movement, but carefully organized campaign
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