US Senator abandons Tesla after being harshly criticized by Elon Musk

US Senator Mark Kelly said that every time he drives, he now feels like 'a walking billboard for a man who is destroying the government and hurting people'.

Mr. Kelly during his visit to Kyiv on March 9

PHOTO: ACCOUNT X MARK KELLY

Politico on March 15 quoted Senator Mark Kelly as saying he would sell his Tesla Model S after being called a "traitor" by billionaire Elon Musk for visiting Ukraine just days after the US suspended aid to the country.

"I'm in Washington driving to work for the last time in my Tesla," Mr. Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona, said in a video posted on social network X on March 14 (local time).

"When I bought this car, I didn't think it would become a political issue. Every time I've gotten in this car in the last 60 days or so, it's reminded me of the damage that Elon Musk and (President) Donald Trump are doing to our country," he said.

Mr. Kelly and the Tesla Model S

POLITICO SCREENSHOT

Billionaire Musk, Tesla owner and currently head of President Trump's Office of Government Efficiency (DOGE), on March 10 called Senator Kelly a "traitor" after Mr. Kelly visited Ukraine.

Mr. Kelly, a former US Navy pilot and astronaut who worked with Mr. Musk's SpaceX, was quick to criticize Mr. Musk's stance.

"Traitor? Elon, if you don't understand that protecting freedom is a fundamental tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, then perhaps you should let the rest of us understand," Mr. Kelly wrote on social media on March 10.

In his latest video about ditching his Tesla, the senator said he bought the car because it was fast like a spaceship. "But now, every time I drive it, I feel like a walking billboard for a man who is destroying the government and hurting people. So Tesla, you're fired!" he said.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thuong-nghi-si-my-bo-chiec-xe-tesla-vi-bi-ong-elon-musk-nang-loi-185250315181236227.htm