Sen. Mark Kelly Trades Tesla for Chevy SUV to Protest Musk-Led DOGE

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) speaks with reporters while waiting to catch the Senate subway to the Hart Senate Office Building from the U.S. Capitol in Washington on July 25, 2024. Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) showcased his new vehicle—a white Chevy Tahoe SUV—on Sunday, replacing his Tesla in protest of the electric vehicle company CEO Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s sweeping federal spending cuts and workforce reductions.

In a video posted on X on March 17, Kelly introduced what he called his “new ride,” touting the Tahoe’s reliability and highlighting that it was built by unionized workers.

“Got one of these in Tucson as well,” he said. “This one was made by union labor, United Auto Workers in Arlington, Texas. Always good to buy union cars, incredibly reliable.”

Kelly, a former astronaut, had hinted at the switch in a social media post on Friday, saying that he originally bought the Tesla “because it was fast like a rocket ship.”

He said there were things he liked about his Tesla, but driving it now felt like being a “rolling billboard for a man dismantling our government and hurting people,” referring to Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“Tesla, you’re fired!” Kelly declared, saying his new ride was on the way.

To implement his cost-cutting reform initiative amid record national debt, President Donald Trump created DOGE to help identify and eliminate waste and duplication through dismantling federal agencies and mass layoffs.

Trump has described his administration’s efforts as a historic restructuring of government. Among his executive actions was a Feb. 19 order to “dramatically reduce the size” of the federal government by cutting non-essential agencies and advisory committees.

As part of this effort, Trump appointed Musk to lead DOGE as a special government employee, tasking him with identifying $2 trillion in wasteful spending.

So far, DOGE’s work has led to proposed cuts of more than 100,000 jobs across the 2.3-million-member federal civilian workforce, along with a freeze on foreign aid and the cancellation of thousands of government contracts and programs—moves that DOGE estimates will save taxpayers $115 billion.

Kelly and other Democrats have criticized DOGE’s approach, saying that it undermines essential government services. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) recently warned that a narrowly averted government shutdown would have allowed “DOGE to shift into overdrive,” leaving Trump and Musk “free to destroy vital government services at a much faster rate.”

Democrats, including Kelly, have alleged that the Trump administration intends to slash Social Security and cut health care benefits for seniors and low-income Americans.

Republicans have dismissed such assertions as political fear-mongering. Trump has repeatedly said that he would not cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid. While Musk has referred to Social Security as “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,” the White House said that he was referring to systemic fraud within the program.

Meanwhile, DOGE faces legal challenges, with multiple lawsuits seeking to restrict its access to government data or declare its operations unconstitutional.

Besides Kelly’s decision to ditch his Tesla, there have also been calls for a boycott and protests outside of Tesla dealerships—some of which have been targeted by acts of vandalism and violence, including gunfire.

Trump, who bought a red Tesla S model and showed it off at the White House this past week, has condemned the vandalism, saying he would consider labeling perpetrators as domestic terrorists.