Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk has seemingly equated government measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic as “the path to tyranny” and said that governments imposing too much restrictions must be voted out of power.
What Happened: Musk in an earlier exchange called U.S. President Joe Biden a "damp [sock] puppet in human form."
The Tesla CEO also expressed his support for Canadian truckers who are protesting a federal government vaccine mandate for cross-border truck drivers by tweeting, “Canadian truckers rule.”
The Canadian government imposed a vaccine mandate that required Canadian truckers to be vaccinated as of Jan. 15, and the U.S. government followed suit.
The truckers have formed convoys and are headed to Ottawa for a weekend protest, saying that the mandate is at odds with personal freedom.
Musk criticized the government vaccine mandates in a series of tweets later.
If you scare people enough, they will demand removal of freedom. This is the path to tyranny.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 27, 2022
Vote them out
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 27, 2022
And in the darkness bind them https://t.co/BvxR4HTTq1
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 27, 2022
I have a feeling that the gerrymandering will not work as well as they think
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 28, 2022
Honestly, I would let the border regions vote. Let the people there actually decide.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 27, 2022
Seems odd that the UN still hasn’t released 2020 world death rates
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 27, 2022
See Also: How To Buy Tesla (TSLA) Stock
Why It Matters: Musk has shown his dislike for COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions previously too.
In a quarterly earnings call in 2020, Musk had termed the stay-at-home orders imposed that year following the coronavirus outbreak as “fascist.”
Prior to the call, Musk had tweeted “Free America Now” and said the scariest part of the pandemic was not the virus itself, but how easily Americans “give up their blood bought freedom to corrupt politicians who promise them safety.”
Price Action: Tesla shares closed 11.6% lower in Thursday’s regular trading session at $829.10, but rose almost 1% in the after-hours session to $837.00.
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Photo: Courtesy of Steve Jurvetson via Flickr
