Elon Musk’s scourge: “I don’t want to drive a car that was built and designed by an asshole”

Elon Musk and US Senator Mark Kelly have been trading insults online over the past few days with the feud escalating to new heights this week.

Kelly and Musk clash over Ukraine visit

Kelly and his fellow Democrats have been openly critical of the way US president Donald Trump has been handling the Ukraine-Russia conflict and Musk joined in the mud-slinging, labeling Kelly “a traitor” for his visit to the warzone earlier this month in which he met with Red Cross workers and military hospital staff.

“I visited Ukraine to show my support for the Ukrainian people. As always, I’m blown away by their resolve as they fight for their country in the face of Putin’s illegal invasion,” Kelly explained. “I plan to bring what I’ve learned from Ukrainian leaders, service members, and the Ukrainian people back to Washington to share the direct impact our support has on the ground.”

Musk responded with a one-line putdown: “You are a traitor”.

Kelly trades his Tesla in for a SUV

Kelly took the spat up another level on Friday by announcing that he had dumped his Tesla. “I’m here in Washington driving to work for the last time in my Tesla,” he said in a video posted on X. “When I bought this thing, I didn’t think it was going to become a political issue. Every time I get in this car in the last 60 days or so, it reminds me of just how much Elon Musk and Donald Trump is doing to our country. Talking about slashing Social Security, cutting health care benefits for poor people, for seniors. It’s one bad thing after the next.

“I think it’s time for an upgrade today,” he added. "Elon Musk kind of turned out to be an asshole, and I don’t want to be driving a car built and designed by an asshole. So, looking forward to my new ride”.

A couple of days later, Kelly showed off his new car, a Chevy Tahoe SUV, with another video in which he took another potshot at Musk and Trump.

“Got one of these in Tuscon as well. This one was made by union labor, United Auto Workers in Arlington, Texas. Always good to buy union cars, incredibly reliable,” Kelly beamed. “And I’m looking forward to driving this for many, many years.”

Some progressives have decided to get rid of their Teslas in recent months as they don’t want to be associated with Musk - actor Jason Bateman and singer Sheryl Crow both offloaded their Tesla vehicles for other electric models.

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