Elon Musk has been dealt another blow just hours after Donald Trump threatened to deport him back to South Africa. The sales of Musk’s electric car company Tesla have dipped by 14% year-on-year, according to reports, with just 384,000 vehicles delivered to drivers between April and June 2025, compared to 444,000 during the same period in 2024. It has put the world’s richest man’s flagship company behind on targets for the second consecutive quarter, with analysts initially projecting the firm to sell around 387,000 vehicles.
The news capped off an eventual 24 hours for Musk, after the billionaire reignited his feud with US President Donald Trump, prompting a furious response and threat of deportation from the White House. Tesla stocks were sent tumbling after the war of words kicked off on Tuesday night, following Musk’s criticism of Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill”, which was passed on a wafer-thin margin by the Senate this week.
After the tech entrepreneur pledged to form his own political party to combat the president’s “utterly insane and destructive” tax and spending bill, Trump said the federal government should look into cutting subsidies for some of Musk’s companies – including Space X and Tesla.
“Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one.”
“Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” Trump added.
Tesla’s stock, which is down just over 19% from January, nosedived in the immediate wake of the spat – with shares dropping from $311.19 (£228.22) to $298.19 (£218.69) in just 30 minutes.
The company said it had produced a total of 410,244 vehicles between April and June, marking a 0.1% drop compared to the second quarter of 2024.
Alongside combatting backlash from its CEO’s political excursions, Tesla has seen a drop in trade linked to increasing global competition and stagnating demand for electric vehicles in countries including the UK.
