A "damp-eyed" Elon Musk appeared "unhappy in his government role" during a rare broadcast interview with Fox News' Larry Kudlow. The Tesla CEO spoke with the US anchor on Monday (March 10), concentrating on Musk's involvement in the Department of Government Efficiency. Body language specialist Inbaal Honigman, speaking on behalf of Sportsbook Review, stated that the eccentric millionaire appeared "uneasy" and "on the verge of tears" at times. After Kudlow questions Musk about his other non-political enterprises, a popular video shows the SpaceX founder appearing to fight back tears. After Donald Trump re-entered office, Musk established DOGE, a tiny team tasked with "tackling government inefficiency and waste".Expert Honigman's examination of Musk's body language shows that his new job under Trump may be distracting him from his long-held goal of attaining interplanetary flight for people, or even as the owner of X, which experienced many outages yesterday. "You're giving up your other stuff - how are you running your other businesses?" inquired Kudlow. Musk said "erm, with great difficulty" after an awkward pause, sighing and shrugging. Honigman stated that Musk is "absolutely not pretending to be upset." He's not seeking sympathy. He is quite uneasy, and it shows."She added: “He is on the verge of tears, and they are tears of frustration. His eyes are damp and slightly red, showing that he is emotional, but this is not a display of sadness. His body language suggests that he does not believe he is doing a bad job.
“Instead, he feels he is doing his best and wishes people would stop questioning him about it.”
A “frustrated” Musk then “takes a deep breath to regulate his breathing, which indicates that he is trying to reduce tension," added Honigman.At one point host Kudlow even had to jump back into the conversation to help bail out a silent Musk. “Musk repeatedly shrugs his shoulders while raising an eyebrow. The shoulder shrug appears apologetic, suggesting that in his mind, the criticism directed at him is unfair,” said Honigman. “His raised eyebrow indicates surprise, as if he genuinely does not understand why people might be unhappy with him.
Honigman continued: “Musk’s body language strongly suggests that he is unhappy in his government role” and would prefer to focus on his businesses, where he feels respected and valued.”
It comes after Musk claimed that IP addresses linked to yesterday's "cyberattack" against X "originated in the Ukraine area".
The social media site went down a number of times on Monday (March 10). Earlier, owner Musk confirmed that the site was battling against a "massive cyberattack" and he suggested a "country was involved".
Tesla sales slumping in Germany as Elon Musk's politics fuel protests-
Musk's far-right leanings appear to be damaging the reputation of his electric cars in Germany, where Tesla sales have fallen sharply and some owners have reported being targeted by protesters.
With a gesture seen by many as a Nazi salute at the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, Musk touched a sensitive topic for Germany, a country where the symbols and gestures associated with Nazism are illegal.
Musk, whose efforts to develop an automotive presence near Berlin were previously welcomed by local leaders, has also irked politicians with his vocal support for Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of elections.After posting on his social media platform X that "only the AfD can save Germany," Musk congratulated the party's leader Alice Weidel in February when her party became Germany's first far-right party to place second in nationwide elections in post-war history.
Amid the backlash in Germany, Tesla registrations have slumped in the latest data, even as electric vehicle sales rise in Germany.Even though February was not a bad month overall for electric car sales, March figures from Germany's federal motor-transport authority show that Tesla vehicle registrations have fallen for the second straight month, dipping by 76% in February.
Anti-Tesla protest appears to have since spread beyond the climate activists who have long demonstrated outside the company's German factory in opposition of its plans to raze forest areas and who have accused it of posing environmental risks to a water protection area. Tesla argues its factory enables a switch to cleaner electric mobility.Earlier in March, the mayor of the small Rhineland town of Eltville, Patrick Kunkel, announced he was saying goodbye to his Tesla official company car.
"For the past six months, people have been asking me directly how it can be that I still drive a Tesla as mayor," he told local broadcaster Hessenschau.
Kunkel said the Tesla was technically a "great car" but he decided to revoke the current leasing agreement on the vehicle and switch to another brand.
"Tesla now epitomizes autocratic thinking," said the mayor. "He is a negative example of what can happen when a highly undemocratic person goes from business to politics."
In Munich, previously satisfied Tesla owner Ariane Stein told the local Merkur newspaper that a man came up to her Tesla 3 recently and asked her: "Are you not ashamed of driving a Tesla?"
She was worried that the situation mights escalate and locked all the car doors from inside. "As a woman I am especially aware that I need to look out for myself," Stein was quoted as saying.
Germany's Tesla drivers' association has said owners in Berlin are so worried about their cars being damaged by anti-Musk protestors that they have stopped parking them on the streets.
So far Stein's car in Munich has not been damaged and she does not consider it necessary to put an anti-Musk sticker on the car.
Media reports say some Tesla showrooms in the United States - where Musk has made waves by spearheading a bid to drastically cut federal spending - have been besieged by protesters. Tesla vehicles have also reportedly been vandalized and bumper stickers have appeared on cars with sayings such as: "I bought it before Elon went nuts."
Back in Germany, police are investigating after an image of Musk doing a straight-armed salute was projected onto a new Tesla factory outside Berlin in January.
The projection appeared on the outer facade of the electric vehicle factory in Grünheide and spelled out the phrase "Heil Tesla", a play on the Nazi rally call of "Heil Hitler." Local police say the depiction of a Hitler salute is a punishable crime.
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