Anti-Musk protesters gather outside Tesla dealership in Washington

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roughly 100 people waved signs and danced in protest outside a Tesla dealership in Washington on Saturday, angry at the electric vehicle maker's billionaire CEO Elon Musk, who has led efforts to sharply cut the federal workforce.

Cars driving past the demonstration honked at the protesters whose signs featured photos of Musk, the world's richest man. President Donald Trump appointed Musk to lead efforts to downsize the federal government, which has thousands of workers in the nation's capital.

Trump tapped Musk to lead a task force dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency, which so far has overseen cuts of more than 100,000 jobs across a federal civilian workforce of more than 2 million people. DOGE has also pushed for the freezing of foreign aid and the canceling of thousands of programs and contracts.

"We are coming out with joy and showing other people that they're not alone," said Melissa Knutson, one of the protesters outside the dealership in Washington.

Protesters also turned out at other U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, as well as abroad, such as in Toronto where some Canadians have vowed not to purchase U.S. products following the Trump administration's hiking of tariffs on Canadian goods.

In the weeks leading up to the protests, motorists have traded in a record number of Tesla electric vehicles this month, Edmunds data showed.

Tesla stock has nearly halved from its January peak. The shares skyrocketed after Trump's election in November on hopes it would be easier for Tesla to roll out robotaxis under the new administration.

The Trump administration said this week that arsonists have targeted several Tesla dealerships and charging stations. No violence was reported at Saturday's protest in Washington.

(Reporting by Yann Tessier; Writing by Jason Lange; Editing by Mary Milliken and David Gregorio)