When Dr Kumait Jaroje saw Elon Musk introduce Tesla’s Cybertruck, he was amazed. The car maker's chief executive unveiled the visually striking vehicle in 2019, complete with a stainless steel "exoskeleton", at an event that included an engineer throwing a metal ball at two supposedly armoured windows, shattering them.
Despite the botched demonstration, Dr Jaroje was sold.
“The minute he broke the window, I put in my reservation,” the physician told The National. “I knew that the truck was going to go viral.”
The cosmetic doctor, who was born in Syria but moved to the US in 2010 and remained there after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, bought the Cybertruck mainly to help promote his business in liberal-leaning Southborough, Massachusetts.
His vehicle is modified with golden panels and comes with a QR code to his website. All up, the vehicle cost more than $100,000.
Around his hometown, the initial reaction to the car was mixed, but playful. Children would take photos in front of the Cybertruck, while others would shout and point when they saw it from the street.
Things started to change when Mr Musk endorsed Donald Trump for president last year and increased his interest in US politics.
“That’s when we started noticing it wasn’t playful reactions any more – middle fingers were coming out. People were screaming more in a more aggressive way,” Dr Jaroje said.
Things got worse after Mr Trump’s inauguration on January 20, when Mr Musk spoke on stage at Washington’s Capital One Arena and raised his arm in what many observers said was a Nazi salute.
“That’s when we noticed a huge flip,” Dr Jaroje says. “It was crazy.”
He tells of an incident where he was cut off on the road by a car and called a Nazi while driving with his children, instances of vandalism and even threatening phone calls.
In one message shared with The National, a man’s voice can be heard telling Dr Jaroje and his family to “go back to Syria” and calling for someone to “put a bullet through his head".
The persistent abuse led him to fear for his and his family’s lives. He decided to lock the Cybertruck away in a garage and no longer drive it.
"I grew up in an atmosphere of fear,” Dr Jaroje says, speaking of his life under former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, whose regime was toppled in December. “I never experienced something like this here that reminded me of Syria ... where you’re scared all the time.”
Dr Jaroje is now hoping to sell the Cybertruck but can’t find a buyer. He tried to trade it in with Tesla, but the company would not take the vehicle back.
Dr Jaroje said he supported some of Mr Trump's actions, but wished Mr Musk would have more humility in his role or step back from his car company.
“Musk should consider the Tesla brand is going to be affected," Dr Jaroje says. “He should have the guts to say I’m stepping away from Tesla to fulfil my political position.”
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
'Musk becoming toxic'
Since taking charge of the US government’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), Mr Musk has reduced the size of the federal government and implemented foreign aid cuts, at times demeaning workers.
This in part has led to demonstrators gathering outside Tesla dealerships across the country, including in the cities of Seattle and Portland, where activists held up placards calling for Tesla owners to sell their cars.
“Musk has become toxic,” long-time technology consultant and analyst Tim Bajarin told The National. “We’re having protests against President Trump and then there’s another set of protesters against Musk. He’s the richest guy in the world, but he’s also turning out to be very close to being one of the most hated.”
Social media posts, largely from those living in liberal-leaning cities in the US, have shown cases of Tesla vehicles being defaced. They include one in which a swastika is spray-painted on a Cybertruck and another in which eggs and dog excrement were thrown at another. Both appear to have occurred in New York City.
On TikTok, an account called cybertruck_hunters posts videos showing activists projecting images and slogans on to the back of Cybertrucks. In one post, they emblazon the video of Mr Musk's salute on the back of a vehicle and pose the question: "I wonder if everyone who's passing me thinks I'm a Nazi?"
Tesla shares have slumped in recent weeks after a sharp drop in sales in Europe, bringing the company’s valuation below $1 trillion.
It comes after Mr Musk similarly intruded into the continent’s politics, throwing his support behind Germany’s far-right AfD party in last weekend's election.
A booming business
Facing anger in liberal-leaning states, Tesla owners are finding novel ways to distance themselves from Mr Musk and his brand of politics.
Business is good for Stacey D, who has been running an online shop for more than a decade in New Jersey. She started selling anti-Musk magnets last summer, months before the US presidential election. The stickers can be attached to the back of any Tesla vehicle for those feeling buyer's remorse.
"It all started when I wanted to add a disclaimer to my own Tesla and a couple of friends asked for the same," she told The National. "From there, I decided to make them available in my online stores. The response has been overwhelming."
The most popular item she sells is a magnet stating: "I bought this before Elon went crazy." Another top-seller states: "Trust me, I don't like him either."
Sales of items like these, she says, have increased 4,500 per cent compared to last year.
"Some customers have mentioned concerns about being harassed or having their cars vandalised. They see these magnets as a way to prevent assumptions or potential confrontations," she says. "People are directly rejecting Musk himself."
Cody Combs contributed to this report from Washington
