Whoa, man. Elon Musk at the White House with Trump? That’s a whole whirlwind of controversy right there. Imagine a billionaire tech guy, who’s already juggling rockets with SpaceX and electric cars with Tesla, now trying to play politics, too. What a circus!
So, Tesla shares just tanked almost 6% right before they rolled out their earnings report. It’s like the universe is throwing curveballs at them. From 227.50 to spiraling down, leaving investors biting their nails, big time. It’s already a rough year for them — down by 44% and counting. Yikes.
And then there’s Elon’s, let’s call it, side quests. Political shenanigans, to be precise. Dude hops into the Trump Administration, and now everyone’s losing it over a potential decline in brand charm. People keep hammering questions about when those self-driving cars will finally take over the streets and if those robot dreams will come true. Some investors are legit worried about the brand’s image, wondering what the board is doing to reel in Elon’s antics.
Meanwhile, he’s dropping serious cheddar, like $290 million, backing Trump. That’s no small change! And now, he’s apparently bent on chopping down federal jobs and selling off government property. What a power play!
Oh, and don’t forget the uproar in Europe and parts of the U.S. Talk about drama — protests, boycotts, you name it! Not everyone’s thrilled about his political flaunts or whatever else he’s up to.
Tesla’s numbers aren’t all that cheery either. They reported 336,681 vehicle deliveries, but oof, that’s a 13% drop from last year. And analysts are crossing fingers for $21.24 billion in revenue, even though it’s a dip from previous times.
Plus, there’s chatter about those Trump tariffs — nobody knows how they’ll mess with earnings down the line. And in China? Tesla might be on the rocks thanks to rising competition and nationalist vibes steering folks toward local brands. Guess they might have to export more to stay afloat.
Caliber, the research peeps, say consumer love for Tesla took a nosedive, dropping to 27% from 46%. And Dan Ives from Wedbush Securities, who’s usually a Tesla cheerleader, hopes Elon will whip out a magic ‘turnaround’ plan soon. Will be interesting to see if they shrug off this Trump-era shadow.
Last week’s scoop from Barclays didn’t paint a rosier picture, either. They trimmed their price target, predicting a messy first quarter. But there’s a faint hope spark if Musk channels his focus back to cars and onto full self-driving tech.
Tune into their live company update, some new twist might be hiding in there. So, what’s next for Tesla in this tangled web of politics and tech? Only time, and perhaps Elon Musk, will tell…
