Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) confessed to spearheading a social media campaign targeting President Donald Trump. The campaign, which involved 22 Senate Democrats, was a response to a challenge thrown by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.

What Happened: Musk, the CEO of Tesla Inc. TSLA, had proposed to gift a Cybertruck to anyone who could authenticate the authorship of the campaign script, which he labeled as “propaganda”. The campaign comprised of nearly minute-long videos posted by the senators on their social media platforms, lambasting Trump’s “broken promises” on cost reduction for Americans.

Booker, the head of the Senate Democratic Leadership Team, retorted to Musk’s challenge, asserting, “Clearly you are triggered by the truth. It was me. Keep your truck.”

The videos underscored the escalating prices during Trump’s presidency and his early term actions, including pardoning Jan. 6 insurrection rioters and permitting Musk to “take a chainsaw to vital government programs for Americans,” reported The Hill.

The campaign was met with criticism from conservative voices, including Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and ex-GOP aide Scott Jennings, who advocated for more authenticity in politicians.

See Also: Melania Trump’s Guest List For President’s Congressional Address Underscores Vast Social Differences From Biden Era

Why It Matters: Musk’s political involvement has been growing, as evidenced by his role in assisting Trump with the Department of Government Efficiency. However, this political association has seemingly impacted Tesla’s sales.

Tesla’s sales in California dropped by 12% in 2024, raising questions about whether Musk’s political support for Trump was hurting the brand.

By March, Tesla’s sales continued to plummet in Europe, with some countries experiencing over a 40% drop. The decline in sales was attributed to Musk’s increasing political involvement and calls for boycotts of the brand.

Since 2025 began, Tesla stock has fallen by almost 30%, with an over 30% fall registered in the last month alone. Even so, the stock is up over 40% over 12 months.

Price Action: Tesla shares dropped 4.4% to $272.04 during Tuesday’s regular session but rebounded nearly 2.4% in after-hours trading, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.

Image via Shutterstock

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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Shivdeep Dhaliwal