The Musk effect still underpins Tesla’s market cap. The shareholders who have pumped up its stock price are fixated on the technology future that he has conjured up, not the electric car business that is the company’s bread and butter today.

Mr. Musk’s involvement in politics and his financial support for the president’s campaign were once seen by investors as a benefit to Tesla, fueling a steep rise in company shares after the election last year. That association has now turned into a liability. Tesla shares are down 40 percent from their peak in December.

"TeslaTakedown" protests against Elon Musk at Tesla showrooms have been on the rise since Musk started the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).