Rossmann drops Tesla: Musk’s Trump support sparks corporate shift
The German drugstore chain Rossmann will no longer use Tesla electric cars. This decision was made due to Elon Musk's support for Donald Trump in the United States presidential election. Specifically, it concerns the Republican candidate's views on climate change and environmental protection.
Rossmann operates over 4,000 stores in Europe, with 2,300 of them in Germany. The company is phasing out Tesla vehicles from its corporate fleet. This results from the company owner’s support for the Republican Party candidate in November's upcoming presidential elections in the USA.
– Elon Musk makes no secret of his support for Donald Trump. Trump has repeatedly described climate change as a hoax - this attitude is in stark contrast to Tesla's mission to contribute to environmental protection through the production of electric cars – said Raoul Rossmann, CEO of the German drugstore chain.
The controversial billionaire, who bought Twitter a few years ago and renamed the platform "X", wrote in mid-July after the attack on the former US President: "I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery." He also confirmed that he donates €38 million monthly to the entrepreneur's campaign.
Giants take hits for Elon Musk
The owner of Tesla is fighting for Trump's return to the White House not only with donations. – Elon Musk is abusing his privileged position as owner of a... politically influential social media platform to sow disinformation that generates discord and distrust – said Imran Ahmed, director of the Centre to Combat Online Hate (CCDH) recently.
What exactly is this about? The non-profit CCDH pointed out 50 posts about voting published since January, which disinformation specialists deemed false or misleading. X's 193 million users, for example, are told that Democrats are encouraging illegal immigration to import voters – reported MBC News.
It doesn’t end there. At the end of July, the billionaire faced harsh criticism for spreading a doctored video of Democratic White House candidate Kamala Harris. The video attracted millions of views and was later presented as "satire."
Musk’s actions have hurt not only Tesla. Advertisers boycotted platform X, depriving the company of billions of pounds in revenue.
