It's troubling times for Tesla, and while the electric vehicle brand was originally booming in the aftermath of President Donald Trump stepping back into the White House, various factors have seen stock prices plummet.
Namely, Elon Musk's position as the company CEO has led to massive backlash online and in person.
If having to deal with the POTUS' 25% vehicle tariffs and being overtaken by BYD weren't bad enough, Musk has faced a barrage of criticism for remaining involved with Tesla.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, with some $1.4 billion missing and even a top investor calling for Musk to be fired.
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There have been further questions about how much faith investors have in Elon Musk, especially after his own brother was seen selling stock.
For Musk's haters, they're looking pretty smug right now, especially as stocks are down 42% since the start of the year.
There was something of a stock boost when Trump turned the front of the White House into a Tesla showroom, but in general, we're at a low point for the EV giant.
Mocking the whole situation, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s shared his feelings at a recent meeting and joked: "They've got that little stock app. I added Tesla to it to give me a little boost during the day. 225 and dropping."
Musk has taken note, and speaking to Fox News, explained: "Think it would help sales if dealerships are being firebombed? Of course not. And Tesla customers are being intimidated all over the country and all over Europe. Does that help Tesla?
“I mean, you have Tim Walz, who’s a huge jerk, running on stage when the Tesla stock price has gone in half, and he was overjoyed."
Saying it's an 'evil' thing to do, Musk concluded: "What a creep, what a jerk. Like, who derives joy from that?”
Walz has since replied mocking the situation further and saying: "Elon, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll stop making fun of your stock when you take your hands off social security."
Musk stepping up as head of the Department of Government Efficiency is part of what triggered this backlash, with him notably being criticized for gleefully taking to the stage and brandishing a gilded chainsaw as a representation of his cuts. Still, with thousands being put out of work and whole government departments being gutted, there's not much love for the tech billionaire.
In the aftermath of the Walz jibe, it seems there's not much support for Musk. One disgruntled person shared a previous Musk tweet where he said, "Go woke, go broke," and added, "Yes, what kind of person would gloat about companies they don’t like losing money?"
Another chimed in, saying: "Isn’t this the same guy who wielded a chainsaw on stage to signify the jobs he was ending and the benefits he was cutting?"
A third said: "This is some knee-deep hypocrisy from @ElonMusk. One look at his TL, and you can see how he celebrates businesses who fail because they dare to act in a manner he doesn’t like."
Musk has emotionally responded to questions about whether he'll stop the DOGE because it's affecting his wealth, with him vowing to continue his mission to try and cut $2 trillion from government spending.
If he's looking for sympathy, he might be looking in the wrong place, with Walz being one of the many who seems to be basking in Tesla's potential downfall.