Elon Musk and JD Vance protests spread nationwide – ‘no dictators in USA’
Tesla stores in New York City, Los Angeles, and Boston saw scores of protestors vent their frustration at Elon Musk’s involvement in the Trump administration, whose policies have seen the firing of thousands of federal employees
Protests have erupted nationwide against billionaire Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance following the heated confrontation between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Outside Tesla stores in New York City, Los Angeles, and Boston, protestors congregated to voice their displeasure at Musk’s Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) policies, which have led to thousands of federal staff being fired.
There were nine arrested at the protests, where signs were on display that read: “No Dictators in the USA” and “Burn a Tesla: Save Democracy.” Similarly, there were protests against Vice President Vance, who has been blasted as a traitor.
Vacationing with his family in Vermont, hundreds of protestors gathered to proclaim that “Vermont stands with Ukraine” and to tell Vance to go “ski in Russia.”
Protesters rally outside of a Tesla store in Boston, Saturday, March 1, 2025, against the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, who is leading an effort to cut government jobs on behalf of President Donald Trump
Videos captured protesters expressing their anger towards the Republican politician by gathering along the snow-covered streets of Waitsfield, chanting loudly. Other signs created by the enraged demonstrators included messages that read: “Join the right side of history,” “Vance = Putin’s Pawn = Traitor,” and “Moms for a caring country.”
The furious protest followed Vance’s public reprimand of Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday, where he criticized him for “disrespecting the U.S.’s generosity.” Vance also claimed that the wartime leader had used “propaganda tours” to gain support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion.
Despite the tense moments, the meeting between Zelenskyy, Trump, and other top U.S. officials began on a respectful note. The two presidents exchanged polite words, with Trump even mentioning the potential for military aid to Ukraine before a peace agreement with Russia.
However, when Zelenskyy expressed skepticism about the reliability of Putin’s ceasefire proposals, Vance contended that such concerns should have remained private. This surprising reaction changed the tone of the discussion, causing the meeting to spiral into chaos.
“What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?” Zelenskyy said, citing examples of Russia’s broken ceasefire promises. “What do you mean?” he asked.
“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” Vance responded. He continued: “Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
Zelenskyy then took a defensive stance, resulting in heated arguments with Trump and his vice president.
Trump later told the Ukrainian President: “You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.”
Protests against Elon Musk and JD Vance spread across America after Trump’s bitter row with Zelensky
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Protests criticizing billionaire Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance have erupted across America following President Donald Trump‘s bitter Oval Office row with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Crowds assembled outside Tesla stores in New York City, Los Angeles and Boston to slam Musk for firing thousands of federal employees, and terminating hundred of aid contracts and federal leases in his effort to shrink the government.
Hundreds of people gathered outside a Tesla dealership in NYC on Saturday waving signs that read ‘No Dictators in the USA’ and ‘Burn a Tesla: Save Democracy’. Nine people were arrested at the demonstration.
Furious protesters also gathered at a resort in Warren, Vermont, where Vance was vacationing with his family, holding signs that claimed ‘Vermont stands with Ukraine’ and urged the Vice President to ‘go ski in Russia’.
Footage captured on the ground shows hundreds lining the streets of the ski town with signs featuring swastikas and labelling Vance as ‘Nazi scum’. Others branded Vance ‘Putin‘s pawn’ as they waved Ukrainian flags.
The wave of protests comes a contentious White House meeting on Friday that saw Vance and Trump break out in a shouting match against Zelensky.
The blowup, which showcased Vance in an attack dog role for his boss, stunned leaders around the world and raised questions about the next phase of the war and Trump’s efforts to end it.
Top Republicans on Sunday pushed Zelensky to change his position on the war with Russia or step aside, ramping up pressure on the Ukrainian leader.
The Musk Masquerade March outside SpaceX in Hawthorne, California saw thousands of citizens line the sidewalks in front of Elon Musk’s company on Saturday
A protester holds a sign that says ‘We stand with Ukraine’ outside a Tesla showroom during a protest on the westside of Manhattan on March 1, 2025 in New York City
Hundreds lined Crenshaw Boulevard in front of SpaceX’s Hawthorne headquarters in protest of Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency on Saturday, March 1, 2025
A protester, dressed as a green Martian alien, holds a sign in support of Ukraine, outside the SpaceX building in Los Angeles on March 1, 2025
A protester holds a sign that says ‘Starve Tesla not children. Save USAID’ outside a Tesla showroom during a protest on the westside of Manhattan on March 1, 2025 in New York City
Nine people were arrested during the raucous ‘Pull Plug on Elon Musk’ protest outside the Tesla dealership in Manhattan on Saturday.
The demonstration, which police said involved around 300 people, was protesting Musk’s role in sweeping cuts to the federal workforce.
Crowds were heard chanting ‘No more business as usual!’, ‘Stop the coup!’, and ‘Nobody voted for Elon Musk!’ as they assembled outside the showroom.
The protesters waved signs bearing slogans including ‘Don’t Buy a Swasticar,’ ‘Nazi,’ ‘Musk Is Out of Control’ and ‘F*** MAGA.’
At least one of the Tesla store’s glass front doors was smashed in the chaos, the New York Daily News reported.
The protest was one of a wave of ‘Tesla Takedown’ demonstrations staged across the country targeting billionaire Musk, who is spearheading the Trump administration’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Throngs of protesters also descended on the electric vehicle maker’s showrooms across the US, blocking traffic, chanting and waving signs. One demonstrator is pictured outside the SpaceX Headquarters in Hawthorne, California
Protesters dressed as ‘Trillionaires for Trump’ protest outside a Tesla showroom on the westside of Manhattan on March 1, 2025 in New York City
Hundreds lined Crenshaw Boulevard in front of SpaceX’s Hawthorne headquarters in protest of Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency on Saturday, March 1, 2025
A woman holds a sign that reads ‘Don’t Sell Out Ukraine You Stuppid Yam’ as she protest along Crenshaw Boulevard in front of SpaceX’s Hawthorne headquarters on Saturday
A protester holds a sign that says ‘Broligarchy sucks’ outside a Tesla showroom during a protest on the westside of Manhattan on March 1, 2025 in New York City
Throngs of protesters also descended on the electric vehicle maker’s showrooms in Jacksonville, Florida, Tucson, Arizona, and other cities, blocking traffic, chanting and waving signs that slammed Musk, including one that read ‘Send Elon to Mars‘.
‘We are taking action at Tesla, Musk’s flagship company,’ the organizers said on the website actionnetwork.org, calling for people to dump Tesla stock and ‘join the picket lines.’
‘Detaching Musk from Tesla would be a meaningful blow against this administration and its prerogatives, because it would be a strike against what they hold most dear: money and power,’ actor and filmmaker Alex Winter wrote in a Rolling Stone article. Winter has posted on social media that he helped organize the protests.
Musk, the world’s richest person, is leading an unprecedented push to shrink the federal government that has resulted in the firing of thousands of employees and the termination of hundreds of aid contracts and federal leases.
In some cases, federal agencies have been forced to try to hire back key workers that had been fired, including some responsible for America’s nuclear weapons, scientists trying to fight a worsening outbreak of bird flu and officials responsible for supplying electricity.
At least 100,000 of the 2.3 million federal employees have agreed to buy-outs or have been fired since Trump took office on January 20.
Protesters block an entrance to a Tesla showroom during a protest on the westside of Manhattan on March 1, 2025 in New York City
A demonstrator outside SpaceX Headquarters in Hawthorne, California holds a sign urging officials to ‘Remove Musk’ as she advocates for federal workers
A man holds a poster depicting businessman Elon Musk as ‘Putin’s Puppet’, outside the SpaceX building in California on Saturday
Demonstrators in Hawthorne, California hold signs calling for Musk’s deportation
A protester holds a sign that says ‘Trump lies matter’ outside a Tesla showroom during a protest on the westside of Manhattan on March 1, 2025 in New York Cit
A protester holds a sign that says ‘This musk smells like fascism’ outside a Tesla showroom during a protest on the westside of Manhattan on March 1, 2025 in New Yor
Crowds protesting Vance lined roadways Saturday near a Vermont ski resort, the day after the Oval Office blowout over Ukraine.
Many of the hundreds of demonstrators, while other anti-war protesters waved Palestinian flags or signs in support of immigrant rights.
Protesters showed up at several locations in the area, including both sides of Route 100 in Waitsfield.
Though demonstrations were planned days in advance, they were energized Saturday morning by a heated Oval Office exchange a day earlier between Vance, Trump and Zelensky.
Vance berated Zelensky for challenging Trump’s assertions that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be trusted.
‘Ski Russia because JD Vance has no friends in Vermont, but he’s got lots of friends in Russia, so he should go there for vacation,’ Tekla Van Hoven of Waterbury told WCAX-TV.
Vance and his family arrived in Vermont ahead of the weekend, with plans to ski at Sugarbush Resort in Warren, and were welcomed by what Fox News described as a ‘mile long’ line of protestors.
The Vice President and his family skied on one side of a mountain to avoid the crowds, but protestors are said to have gathered there also, according to the outlet.
Protesters line Main Street in Waitsfield, Vt., to protest Vice President JD Vance’s visit on Saturday, March 1, 2025
Footage captured on the ground shows hundreds lining the streets of the town, holding signs in protest
On Friday, Vance and President Trump broke out in a shouting match against Zelensky inside the Oval Office
‘There were a handful of protestors at the resort throughout the day, but all were peaceful and none were disruptive,’ resort spokesman John Bleh said in an email Sunday. He declined further comment, referring reporters to the White House.
Republican Gov. Phil Scott issued a statement on Thursday welcoming Vance and his family to the state, and asked Vermont residents to do the same even if they have political differences with the vice president.
‘I hope Vermonters remember the vice president is here on a family trip with his young children and, while we may not always agree, we should be respectful,’ the statement said.
A smaller number of protesters in support Vance and Trump also showed up with a ‘welcome rally.’
Tesla and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Despite the large amount of protestors, some also came out in support of Vance – flying MAGA flags
Trump and Vance clashed with Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday, spurring the Ukrainian leader to leave early without signing a planned minerals deal.
Zelensky argued in the meeting that Putin had not honored a 2019 ceasefire agreement and described him as a killer and a terrorist.
Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said it was not clear to the administration that Zelensky was ready to negotiate an end of the war.
Waltz underscored Trump’s goal for a permanent peace between Moscow and Kyiv involving territorial concessions in exchange for European-led security guarantees.
Asked whether Trump wanted Zelensky to resign, Waltz told CNN’s State of the Union program: ‘We need a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians and end this war.’
‘If it becomes apparent that President Zelensky’s either personal motivations or political motivations are divergent from ending the fighting in his country, then I think we have a real issue on our hands,’ Waltz added.
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a top Trump ally and also an advocate for Ukraine, questioned whether the US could still work with Zelensky following the White House clash in remarks to reporters on Friday.
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson issued a similar message on Sunday.
‘Something has to change. Either he needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country to do that,’ the top congressional Republican told NBC’s Meet the Press’ program, referring to Zelensky.
‘I’d like to see Putin defeated, frankly. He is an adversary of the United States. But in this conflict, we’ve got to bring an end to this war.’
The vice president launched into attack mode, after he felt Trump was being disrespected by the Ukrainian president
Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont aligned with the Democrats, dismissed suggestions that Zelensky should resign.
‘I think that is a horrific suggestion. Zelensky is leading a country, trying to defend democracy against an authoritarian dictator, Putin, who invaded his country,’ Sanders said on Meet the Press.
Republican US Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma said on the same program that he did not agree with calls for Zelensky to resign.
Democrats have expressed disgust over the tenor of Trump’s meeting with the Ukrainian leader.
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut lambasted the White House for drawing closer to Russia than to fellow democracies.
‘It is absolutely shameful what is happening right now. The White House has become an arm of the Kremlin,’ he said on the State of the Union program. ‘The entire pretext for that meeting… was an attempt to rewrite history in order to sign a deal with Putin that hands Putin Ukraine. That is disastrous for US national security.’
Waltz called it ‘absolutely false’ that the Oval Office meeting was an ambush, and the Trump administration put the onus on the Ukrainians to shift their position.
JD Vance speaks during a meeting with President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office
‘We’ll be ready to reengage when they’re ready to make peace,’ Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on ABC’s This Week program. He said he had not spoken to Zelensky or Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha since the Friday meeting.
‘No one here is claiming Vladimir Putin is going to get the Nobel Peace Prize this year,’ Rubio said, while arguing that negotiations with Moscow were required. ‘You´re not going to bring them to the table if you´re calling them names, if you´re being antagonistic.’
Democrat Amy Klobuchar, a senator from Minnesota, said on This Week that she was ‘appalled’ by the clash in the Oval Office and that she had met with Zelenskiy before he went to the White House on Friday.
‘There is still an opening here’ for a peace deal, she said.
