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Sheryl Crow and Elvira have each recently made playful videos showing off the sale of their Teslas. They were little acts of protest against Tesla owner President Elon Musk, and I enjoyed them so much that I wished for the trend to continue. And the universe has granted my wish! (I could be a little petty and quibble over why she’s listening to this request, as opposed to one I made, say, in November… that’s all.) So who just celebrated selling off their Tesla? Democratic Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, who posted two videos over the weekend, one in which he bids his Tesla a very fond f–k off, and a second where he welcomes his union-made-in-America Chevy. No, the senator didn’t really tell the Tesla to f–k off. What he actually said was, “I don’t want to be driving a car built and designed by an a–hole.” Words to live by.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) touted his new vehicle on Sunday after he announced last week he would ditch his Tesla amid an ongoing back-and-forth with Elon Musk, the CEO of the electric vehicle company.
In a video posted Sunday to the social platform X, which Musk owns, Kelly showed off what he called his “new ride” while standing next to a Chevy Tahoe SUV in Washington.
“Got one of these in Tucson as well. This one was made by union labor, United Auto Workers in Arlington, Texas. Always good to buy union cars, incredibly reliable,” Kelly said in the video. “And I’m looking forward to driving this for many, many years.”
It came just two days after he said he would look for a new ride since his Tesla was “built and designed by an a–hole.”
“Every time I get in this car in the last 60 days or so, it reminds me of just how much Elon Musk and Donald Trump is doing to our country,” he said in a video last Friday.
“Talking about slashing Social Security, cutting health care benefits for poor people, for seniors. It’s one bad thing after the next,” he said, in reference to Musk’s leadership of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts.
Kelly, a former U.S. Navy combat pilot, said Musk is also firing veterans.
“I’m a veteran. So, I have a really hard time driving around in this thing,” he said of his Tesla last week. “I think it’s time for an upgrade today.”
“Elon Musk kind of turned out to be an a–hole, and I don’t want to be driving a car built and designed by an a–hole. So, looking forward to my new ride,” he added.
Earlier this week, Musk called Kelly a “traitor” on social media in response to the Senate Democrat’s trip to Ukraine earlier this month.
Kelly slapped back at Musk, writing on social media, “Elon, if you don’t understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do.”
He later told MSNBC’s “Rachel Maddow Show” that “the only oath I can think of that maybe Elon has sworn is an oath to his own checking account, to his pocketbook.”
Kudos to Senator Kelly for doing the right thing in ditching his Tesla, and for using the moment to tout American union auto workers. Elvira still gets extra points for style in my book, both for the term “Elon Sux Mobile,” and for the fact that it was printed on her car with Twitter/X’s logo. But it’s not a competition. I’m curious about what we think of Kelly posting his videos to Twitter/X, though? Is it trolling Musk on his turf, or not sticking the landing on Kelly’s part? To be fair he did post them on Bluesky too. And I could be a little incredulous and quibble over Kelly’s timeline of only feeling yucky about his Tesla over the last 60 days, as opposed to, say, the past 6+ months of Musk pouring his millions into backing Trump… that’s all. The important thing is, Tesla stock is still taking a nosedive upwards of 50%, even after they mounted that pop-up showroom on the White House lawn.
I bought a Tesla because it was fast like a rocket ship. But now every time I drive it, I feel like a rolling billboard for a man dismantling our government and hurting people. So Tesla, you’re fired!
New ride coming soon.
— Captain Mark Kelly (@captmarkkelly.bsky.social) March 14, 2025 at 11:48 AM
New ride is here. Built by union labor here in America thanks to @uaw.org!
— Captain Mark Kelly (@captmarkkelly.bsky.social) March 16, 2025 at 1:39 PM