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Jeremy Clarkson Mocks Elon Musk Amid Global Tesla Vandalism Surge
The column blends sarcasm with serious undertones, reflecting a wider cultural shift in how Elon Musk is perceived—not as the visionary disruptor of tech lore but as a divisive political figure now facing the consequences of his own transformation.
British TV presenter and motor journalist Jeremy Clarkson has reignited his long-running feud with Elon Musk, mocking the Tesla CEO as an “idiot” amid a surge in vandalism targeting the company’s vehicles and showrooms around the world. In a sharply worded Sunday Times column published on March 23, Jeremy Clarkson reflected with biting humour on what he sees as poetic justice: environmentalists—many of whom once idolized Musk—are now turning against him. “What makes it so juicy is that he’s being pecked to death by the very people who put him on the pedestal in the first place. The eco hippies,” Clarkson wrote.
A Feud That’s Been Brewing Since 2008
The beef between Jeremy Clarkson and Elon Musk began in 2008 when Top Gear aired a harsh review of Tesla’s first electric vehicle, the Roadster. Clarkson praised its speed but criticized its reliability, claiming that one of the two vehicles broke down during filming. Tesla denied this and later sued the BBC, accusing the show of staging the failure. The automaker lost both the case and the appeal.
Now, over 15 years later, Jeremy Clarkson says Tesla CEO Elon Musk has never quite let it go “He still claims I was biased and that we pretended his car had broken down when it hadn’t. Even though it had,” Clarkson wrote. “I should really have sued him back, but I feared he’d call me a paedo, so instead, I just waited on the river bank for his body to float past. And now it has.”
From Tech Messiah to Political Villain
The recent backlash against Elon Musk stems not just from his persona but his growing role in U.S. politics. After donating heavily to Donald Trump’s successful 2024 re-election campaign, Musk now holds a quasi-official role in the government, heading up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a new initiative aimed at slashing public spending.
Musk’s increasingly combative social media presence, along with his alignment with far-right narratives and a reported Nazi-style salute at a post-election event, has made him a magnet for political controversy. Tesla, once seen as a symbol of sustainable innovation, is now viewed by some former supporters as a tool of authoritarianism.
Jeremy Clarkson gleefully highlighted the irony of this reversal, pointing out how Tesla owners—many of whom were early environmental adopters—are now slapping “pre-idiot purchase” stickers on their cars in protest. “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,” Jeremy Clarkson noted.
Clarkson’s Vindication
Long known for his disdain of electric vehicles and environmental messaging, Clarkson appears to relish the current Tesla backlash as vindication. “I’d love to remind all you Tesla drivers that I warned you 17 years ago that no good would come of your buying choice,” he wrote. “But you didn’t listen. You chose to believe Mr Musk.”
The column blends sarcasm with serious undertones, reflecting a wider cultural shift in how Elon Musk is perceived—not as the visionary disruptor of tech lore but as a divisive political figure now facing the consequences of his own transformation.
