Elon Musk escalated his online beef with former vice presidential nominee Tim Walz after he poked fun at Tesla’s drastic share price plunge on social media platform X.
Kamala Harris’ 2024 running mate drew Musk’s by sharing a clip from a speech he made in Wisconsin Tuesday night in which he said he’s regularly checking the Tesla price to “give me a little boost during the day,” prompting laughter and applause.
“$225 and dropping!” Walz said, referring to the price at which Tesla closed Tuesday. The stock actually rose slightly on Wednesday to $233—which still represents a fall of over 50 percent from its near-$480 peak in December.
Walz also advised Tesla vehicle owners to “take dental floss” and use it to remove the badge from their cars.
In response to Walz’s post, Musk shot back by referencing Walz and Harris’ election defeat. “Sometimes when I need a little boost, I look at the @JDVance portrait in the @WhiteHouse and thank the Lord,” the Tesla boss wrote.
Tesla’s stock price has tumbled as Musk has sought to slash the federal government with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, (DOGE).
Sales of the company’s electric vehicles have also cratered in multiple markets around the world, and its showrooms have been hit by a spate of vandalism and arson attacks.
Early on Tuesday, a Tesla facility in Las Vegas was set ablaze by an individual armed with a gun and Molotov cocktails, authorities said, describing the attack as “targeted.” At least five Tesla vehicles were damaged in the incident.
Musk has condemned the attacks on Tesla vehicles this year as “violent terrorism.”
Walz and Musk have been trading barbs for months. Musk, who spent almost $300 million backing Trump’s election effort, was mocked by the Minnesota governor as Trump’s real “running mate” in October.
“Elon’s on that stage, jumping around, skipping like a dips–t,” Walz said during a rally in Madison, Wisconsin.
Musk hit back on X at the time, writing: “You’re gonna lose, @Tim_Walz. Saving the American people from the torture of hearing you speak for four years was worth it.”
