At least one federal employee that Elon Musk can’t fire has taken an important stand for all the workers who were terminated in Musk’s heartless government purge. He traded in his Tesla for a Chevy Tahoe. “Elon Musk kind of turned out to be an a–hole,”  Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Ar izona said in a video posted on Musk’s X social media platform. “And I don’t want to be driving a car built and designed by an a–hole.” Kelly, a Navy combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut, once had nothing but kind words for Musk, the man who is also behind Space X, a private sector commercial space flight company. But that relationship quickly soured after Musk, President Trump’s point person on government efficiency, took a chainsaw to the federal workforce, and fired thousands of loyal, dedicated employees. The feeling was apparently mutual. Musk has called Kelly a “traitor” for visiting Ukraine. But Kelly said Musk is the one ruining America by trying to slash Social Security, firing veterans and cutting health care benefits for poor people and seniors. “I bought a Tesla because it was fast like a rocket ship,” Kelly wrote on what most people still call Twitter. “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.” Kelly’s new ride? A Chevy Tahoe. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) Kelly is not alone. Hip hop icon Fab 5 Freddy is also kicking his Tesla to the curb. “It’s really looking like you’re wearing a red MAGA hat driving this car,” he told the New York Times. Singer Sheryl Crow said last month that she was selling her black Tesla and donating the proceeds to Trump target NPR in a protest against Musk. “My parents always said, ‘You are who you hang out with,’” Crow wrote in an Instagram post. “There comes a time when you have to decide who you are willing to align with. So long Tesla. “Money donated to @npr, which is under threat by President Musk, in hopes that the truth will continue to find its way to those willing to know the truth.” Musk is leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, which has been focused on reducing federal spending. Elon Musk at a White House cabinet meeting, March 24, 2025. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) DOGE, as headline writers like to call it, has singled out agencies like the Department of Education and the Federal Aviation Administration in addition to targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The cuts have put waves of federal employees out of work. Ironically, some of them are probably Tesla owners struggling to make payments on cars they bought from the billionaire who just fired them. Kelly, meanwhile, has gotten a lot of mileage out of his trade-in, and we’re not talking about fuel efficiency. Despite getting only 20 mpg with the new gas-guzzling SUV, Kelly has shown America the right way to take a stand when a company or executive declares war on your livelihood, values or beliefs. Boycotts have been fine, and demonstrations at Tesla dealerships have been effective, but some of the backlash against the car company has gone too far. At least nine people were arrested after protesters smashed a glass door at a Tesla showroom on Washington St. in Manhattan on March 1, 2025. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News) Leading the charge have been some of the so-called progressives who for years have tried to make the rest of us feel guilty for driving Durangos, Suburbans and Jeep Grand Cherokees. Vandals targeting Tesla have crossed the line by painting red swastikas on some Cybertrucks and setting other cars on fire. Owners unable to unload their EVs or still torn over Tesla have been caught in the middle. In a bid to safeguard their investments, they put anti-Elon stickers on their Teslas or remove the Tesla badges. They’re serious about protecting their property, so don’t tell them: We still know it’s a Tesla. ...read more read less