The sudden fallout ended a nearly yearlong partnership, during which Mr. Musk helped propel Mr. Trump to the White House and became one of the president’s top advisers.
President Trump said on Thursday that Elon Musk was upset about the repeal of an electric vehicle tax credit — a claim that Mr. Musk swiftly rejected.
Last year alone, companies owned by Elon Musk were promised $3 billion across nearly 100 different government contracts with 17 federal agencies.
Drivers in the country, Europe’s largest car market, are avoiding vehicles from Tesla, which has seen a drop in sales in other countries as well.
The agency that runs the highway said it was switching to another company to provide chargers that work for electrical vehicles other than just Teslas.
The activists behind the Tesla Takedown campaign say they intend to expand beyond protests at the company’s showrooms.
As Mr. Musk steps away from Washington, he faces concerns over his prolonged absence from his businesses including Tesla, SpaceX, xAI and X.
Battery-operated vehicles were a mainstay more than a hundred years ago, but only a few still exist — one happens to be in Jay Leno’s garage.
Despite steep tariffs, the Chinese carmaker leapfrogged Tesla in April, in what an analyst called a “watershed moment” for the continent’s auto market.
Robyn Denholm sold Tesla stock in recent months while Elon Musk, the chief executive she oversees, worked for President Trump and alienated many car buyers.