Musk, the largest political donor to U.S. President Donald Trump’s successful 2024 election campaign, has assumed a loosely defined government role in which he spearheads efforts within the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut the size of the American state.
This role, along with the billionaire’s antagonistic posting on social media, his boosting of far-right propaganda and the Nazi-style salute he gave in public shortly after Trump’s election, has made him a lightning rod for anti-Trump sentiment and his products a target of protestors.
“Things are so bad that a friend of mine who was trying to save the world (and a few quid on the congestion charge) has now fitted a sticker to his Tesla saying he bought it before he knew Musk was an idiot,” Clarkson wrote.
Clarkson said Musk had sued him (actually, Tesla sued the BBC) 17 years ago after a “firm but fair” review of the Tesla Roadster was aired on Top Gear, which at the time was one of the most popular television shows in the United Kingdom and around the world.
The 10-minute segment was at times scathing — with Clarkson showcasing his trademark anti-environmentalist views concerning “brown rice eco-cars” — but also included some praise for the “biblically quick” Roadster. During a test, however, one of the two Tesla cars featured broke down.
Asked about the review by the BBC’s Newsnight in 2013, Musk said he “wouldn’t paint all the BBC with Top Gear’s brush; I’m actually a great fan of the BBC,” before adding: “Clarkson’s show is much more about entertainment than it is about truth. I think most people realize that, but not everyone.”
