Protests continue at Twin Cities Tesla dealership despite Musk's White House exit
A crowd of about 150 people protested on Saturday outside the Tesla car dealership in Golden Valley, Minnesota, for an 18th consecutive weekend.
Across the street, a group of about 20 people also held signs, played music and stood in support of President Trump and Elon Musk.
The world's richest man announced his departure from the Trump administration this week and is set to return his focus to business holdings. Both groups on Saturday say they're not convinced his work with the federal government is over.
"I don't believe that for one second," said Bill Henson of Minneapolis, who says he's been at nearly every Saturday protest outside of Tesla's dealership since February. "In fact, Trump made a statement contradicting Elon and saying he's still going to be in the administration, he's still giving guidance, he's still going to be involved."
Despite the juxtaposition of the two groups, both sides remained peaceful, at times crossing the street to talk or debate with one another.
"I'm just here to support Elon, support President Trump, and support our country," said Becky Gee, a pro-Trump demonstrator. "We can co-exist. You can stand next to us and you can say, 'Well, I don't like this that they did in the government this week,' and we can say, 'Well, we don't like this part of it, but here's the bigger picture.'"
Anti-Musk protestors say they're committed to staying put each Saturday for the time being.
"This is a long game. This is not something where, oh, Elon steps away, it doesn't matter," Henson said. "I'm here for the long haul. I'm not going anywhere."
