Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz expressed joy over the declining stock value of Tesla, a company that employs thousands of Americans, simply to spite CEO Elon Musk. Tesla’s stock has dropped over 40% in 2025 so far, as of Wednesday morning.
During a Tuesday town hall in Wisconsin, Walz revealed that he checks Tesla’s stock value for personal satisfaction, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune. “Some of you know this, on the iPhone, they’ve got that little stock app. I added Tesla to it to give me a little boost during the day — $225 and dropping,” Walz said, drawing applause. “And if you own one, we’re not blaming you. You can take dental floss and pull the Tesla thing off.”
“I’m not a vindictive person or anything, but I take great pleasure in the fact that this guy’s life is going to get very, very difficult,” Walz added, referring to Musk.
Tesla employed 47,000 workers in California in 2022 and was the third-largest employer in Austin, Texas, with nearly 23,000 employees. However, the company recently announced plans to cut around 3,000 jobs in both states, according to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act letters cited by CNBC.
Musk, now serving as White House senior advisor and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head, has faced increasing hostility, including vandalism targeting Tesla dealerships and charging stations across the country.
Walz, who is currently on a town hall tour in red districts, has hinted at a 2028 presidential bid if conditions align with his “skill set.”
The governor recently complained about masculinity-related criticism he received while campaigning for vice president in 2024 alongside former Vice President Kamala Harris. “It just baffled me how much time they spent trying to attack me — that I wasn’t like masculine enough in their vision,” Walz said on This is Gavin Newsom. “I saw Fox News did, like, a couple days because I used a straw, and I’m like, ‘Hell, man, how else do you drink a milkshake?’”
