On the third page of the slide deck issued by Tesla to its investors on Wednesday was a sentence that spoke volumes. “This dynamic, along with changing political sentiment, could have a meaningful impact on demand for our products in the near-term.”

The dynamic that Tesla was referring to is the tariff policies of the Trump administration, which have upended global trade. But the real meat was the three words “changing political sentiment”, which have been taken to mean the damage done to the company’s reputation, sales and brand by its founder, chief executive and dominant shareholder’s close association with the Trump administration.

As almost everybody on the planet knows at this stage, Elon Musk has carved out a role for himself as the accountant from hell in the current US government. As head of Doge (Department of Government Efficiency), Musk and his minions have gone through the federal government, looking to make costs savings. Thousands of employees have been fired and numerous programmes aimed at helping disadvantaged Americans have been cancelled, whittled down or are........

© The Irish Times