Tesla Stock Slumps Amid Political Turmoil: What's Going On?

Tesla Inc TSLA shares fell during Thursday’s trading session. The decline follows heightened political tensions and ongoing concerns about international sales performance.

What To Know: CEO Elon Musk's public feud with President Donald Trump has intensified, with Musk urging Americans to oppose Trump's latest bill, calling it a threat to the U.S. economy.

The bill, dubbed the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” proposes eliminating the $7,500 EV tax credit, which could hinder Tesla's growth in the U.S. market. Musk’s vocal opposition, despite having previously supported ending the credit, has added to political controversy, possibly alienating some Tesla customers.

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Meanwhile, Tesla's global sales struggles are deepening. Deliveries of China-made vehicles dropped 15% year-over-year in May, marking seven consecutive months of declines. Sales across Europe also continued to fall, with weakness reported in key markets such as the U.K., Germany, and Italy.

These challenges come ahead of Tesla's highly anticipated robotaxi unveiling in Austin on June 12. While the company has begun testing self-driving vehicles, it faces a federal investigation into its Full Self-Driving system.

Investors appear wary as political headwinds and competitive pressures weigh heavily on the EV giant's stock.

Price Action: Tesla shares fell 3.8% to $319.50 during Thursday’s trading session, marking a 10.6% drop over the past week.

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How To Buy TSLA Stock

By now you're likely curious about how to participate in the market for Tesla – be it to purchase shares, or even attempt to bet against the company.

Buying shares is typically done through a brokerage account. You can find a list of possible trading platforms here. Many will allow you to buy “fractional shares,” which allows you to own portions of stock without buying an entire share.

In the case of Tesla, which is trading at $314.35 as of publishing time, $100 would buy you 0.32 shares of stock.

If you're looking to bet against a company, the process is more complex. You'll need access to an options trading platform, or a broker who will allow you to “go short” a share of stock by lending you the shares to sell. The process of shorting a stock can be found at this resource. Otherwise, if your broker allows you to trade options, you can either buy a put option, or sell a call option at a strike price above where shares are currently trading – either way it allows you to profit off of the share price decline.

According to data from Benzinga Pro, TSLA has a 52-week high of $488.54 and a 52-week low of $167.41.

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