Tesla's backlash over Musk's politics and his $1 trillion pay package

Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below

Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side

LeftCenterRight

Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.

Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.

25% left · 53% center · 22% right of 109 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 32 stories.

Every storyoldest first

1. November 2024

   Nov 6– 11Tesla market value surpasses $1 trillion after Musk-backed Trump wins presidency25 articles · 12 independent sources

   2 left, 5 center, 4 right
2. Nov 8Tesla hits $1 trillion market cap as stock rallies after Trump win5 articles · 4 independent sources

   0 left, 2 center, 1 right
3. Nov 18Tesla stock surges 7% on Trump plan to streamline regulations for self-driving cars: report5 articles · 5 independent sources

   1 left, 1 center, 3 right

4. January 2025

   Jan 2– 3Tesla sales dropped 1.1% in 2024, its first annual decline in a dozen years28 articles · 24 independent sources

   3 left, 6 center, 6 right

5. February 2025

   Feb 3Investors are betting Musk and Tesla will make a fortune under Trump even as threats mount5 articles · 5 independent sources

   1 left, 1 center, 1 right

6. March 2025

   Mar 11Trump calls Tesla boycott ‘illegal' and says he's buying one to support Elon Musk10 articles · 8 independent sources

   2 left, 2 center, 1 right
7. Mar 11– 12At White House, Trump says he will buy Tesla in show of support for Elon Musk46 articles · 33 independent sources

   9 left, 15 center, 6 right
8. Mar 12Trump says he will label violence against Tesla domestic terrorism8 articles · 8 independent sources

   4 left, 0 center, 3 right
9. Mar 19– 20US attorney general to bring charges for Tesla damage, citing ‘domestic terrorism’7 articles · 6 independent sources

   1 left, 1 center, 3 right
10. Mar 20– 21Elon Musk tells Tesla employees ‘hang on to your stock’ as vehicle trade-ins hit record levels6 articles · 5 independent sources

    2 left, 1 center, 1 right
11. Mar 21Trump touts prison in El Salvador for Tesla attackers5 articles · 5 independent sources

    1 left, 2 center, 2 right
12. Mar 25Tesla just got even more bad news from Europe5 articles · 5 independent sources

    1 left, 2 center, 1 right
13. Mar 31– Apr 2Tesla reports 336,000 vehicle deliveries in first quarter, 13% drop from a year ago7 articles · 5 independent sources

    2 left, 1 center, 1 right

14. April 2025

    Apr 2Tesla sales drop 13% in first quarter as Elon Musk backlash, aging models hurt demand21 articles · 20 independent sources

    5 left, 8 center, 1 right
15. Apr 22Tesla profits plunge as Trump’s trade war and Musk alliance cloud its future8 articles · 7 independent sources

    3 left, 2 center, 1 right

16. May 2025

    May 27Tesla has a Europe problem9 articles · 9 independent sources

    2 left, 3 center, 2 right

17. June 2025

    Jun 5– 6Tesla stock plunges as Musk's feud with Trump over GOP tax bill spooks investors24 articles · 17 independent sources

    5 left, 6 center, 4 right
18. Jun 6Trump is considering selling his Tesla after feuding with Elon Musk10 articles · 10 independent sources

    4 left, 1 center, 5 right

19. July 2025

    Jul 2Tesla sales fell sharply in Q2 as Musk backlash and competition chipped away at company’s dominance18 articles · 17 independent sources

    2 left, 8 center, 3 right
20. Jul 6– 7Tesla stock down sinks after Elon Musk announces launch of ‘America Party’19 articles · 17 independent sources

    3 left, 5 center, 4 right

21. August 2025

    Aug 4Tesla awards CEO Musk millions in shares valued at about $29 billion31 articles · 27 independent sources

    3 left, 9 center, 3 right

22. September 2025

    Sep 5– 6Elon Musk could get a $1 trillion pay package — but he has to find his successor first11 articles · 11 independent sources

    4 left, 4 center, 1 right
23. Sep 15Elon Musk buys $1 billion worth of Tesla shares as he looks to gain more control over the EV maker14 articles · 12 independent sources

    3 left, 4 center, 4 right

24. October 2025

    Oct 23Elon Musk Calls Firms ‘Corporate Terrorists’ For Opposing His $1 Trillion Pay Plan7 articles · 6 independent sources

    2 left, 1 center, 2 right
25. Oct 27Tesla's chair warns shareholders: Give Elon Musk his $1 trillion pay package, or lose him5 articles · 5 independent sources

    1 left, 1 center, 2 right

26. November 2025

    Nov 4Big Tesla investor will vote against Musk’s massive pay package11 articles · 11 independent sources

    1 left, 4 center, 0 right
27. Nov 4– 7Tesla investors approve Elon Musk's $1 trillion pay package94 articles · 50 independent sources

    6 left, 20 center, 7 right

28. December 2025

    Dec 19– 20Elon Musk wins appeal to restore his 2018 Tesla pay deal worth $56 billion13 articles · 13 independent sources

    4 left, 1 center, 2 right

29. January 2026

    Jan 2– 3Tesla loses title as world’s biggest electric vehicle maker51 articles · 32 independent sources

    4 left, 11 center, 5 right

30. July 2026

    Jul 1– 3Tesla Delivers a Blowout Quarter, Crushing Wall Street Estimates11 articles · 8 independent sources

    3 left, 1 center, 4 right
31. Jul 2Tesla sales jumped last quarter in a possible sign the worst of the Musk backlash is behind it11 articles · 11 independent sources

    0 left, 1 center, 1 right

32. August 2026

    Aug 13– 14Tesla paid Elon Musk 2.5m times more as CEO than its average worker in 20255 articles · 5 independent sources

    1 left, 2 center, 0 right