Like other business owners hit hard by
coronavirus shutdown orders, Tate says Musk is
a leader in the growing movement to reopen in
the face of government orders, giving smaller
businesses a boost and letting them know
they’re not in the fight alone.
“We needed somebody with a voice as big as his
to step up and say what he did,” Tate said.
Musk, with 34 million Twitter followers, has
openly defied an order from the Alameda
County Health Department to conduct only
minimum operations at the plant in Fremont,
California, that normally employs 10,000 people.
On Twitter he has made derisive comments
about the county’s top health official. He has
called the stay-home restrictions “fascist” and
said they rob people of freedom.
While Musk is getting support on social media
from his devoted followers and even President
Donald Trump, his actions might cost him in the
long run. Many who buy his expensive electric
vehicles do so because they tilt to the left
politically and want to make a statement about
protecting the environment. And they have
criticized Musk in the past when he’s allied too
closely with Trump.
For instance, early in Trump’s term, Musk got
pushback for serving on two of the president’s
business advisory councils. He stepped down
after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris
climate accord.
Still, Musk is admired by business owners who
think the government shouldn’t be telling
them to stay closed if they’re willing to take
precautions to reopen safely. That includes Mike
Jellison, who reopened his gym in Arlington,