In a reversal of a Republican talking point, a Tulsa man says he’s planning to pay $50 to people willing to oppose a group of protestors who’ve been regularly picketing a Tesla car dealership in Tulsa.
Steven Vining, 45, loves the Cybertruck he ordered three years ago and picked up in January. These days, though, he says the electric vehicle is attracting the wrong type of attention.
“The verbal abuse and the flipping off is daily. I would say three times a day, it’s just constant, somebody pulls up next to me and they’re flipping me off or cussing me out or throwing things at me. In the last week I’ve had two people hit my vehicle,” said Vining.
After an elderly woman “flipped him off” and hit his car with her bag of groceries in a Reasor’s parking lot, Vining said he’d had enough and wanted to show support for Tesla owner Elon Musk. He attached “Make America Great Again” and “Fueled by liberal tears” stickers to his car, which he says was maybe not the best idea.
“It’s almost like they push you so far and so hard,” said Vining. “I’m okay with you having your voice, but I’m not okay with you mistreating people based on them just having an opinion, and I think that’s where I got truly fed up.”
Musk is still the richest man in the world despite a recent drop in Tesla stock. All the troubles are connected to Musk’s role in President Donald Trump’s administration.
Musk has championed the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, that’s leading the charge to drastically downsize the federal government. Thousands of federal workers have been fired and more than 120 lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration for its efforts.
“I support what they’re doing auditing every dollar we spend. Could it have been communicated better? Yes, maybe, but I do 100% support Elon,” said Vining.
Vining, who is a real estate investor by trade, says he’s received hundreds of messages from interested people and he plans to pay the first 40 who responded, as advertised. Multiple sign companies are offering to print signs for him, he reports.
Vining’s deal is a little ironic in light of recent GOP talking points. Top Republicans have advised lawmakers to avoid in-person town halls due to “paid protestors” flooding the venues to express anger at Trump and Musk.
Tulsa’s Tesla protestors have spent multiple weekends demonstrating at the Tesla store located on South 129th East Avenue. In response to a request for comment, the group sent an unsigned statement to KWGS.
"We are a group of Tulsans who are protesting the unelected bureaucrat, Elon Musk, and his dismantling of our democracy. Elon Musk is the largest shareholder of Tesla and, by proxy, we are protesting that company. More than 100,000 federal employees have been fired or accepted buyouts, many of those with prominent jobs who keep our nation running smoothly. We're concerned with cuts made to USAID, the Department of Justice, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, and many more. DOGE is dangerous to our health and safety.”
The group says their protest for this weekend is still going forward.
