Tesla cant seem to catch a break as anger over CEO Elon Musks interference in the U.S. government continues to spill over to his business. Shares of Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) fell about 2% early Thursday as investors continue to trim their positions and short the stock in the face of declining sales in Europe and China, amid Musks ongoing controversial behavior.The stock is down 5% in the past five days, 35% in the past month, and 42% since the beginning of 2025. And by some estimates, Musk has lost more than $100 billion since December.More bad news for the EV giant: On Thursday, Teslaannounced it was recalling 46,096 Cybertruck vehicles in the U.S. to fix a defective exterior panel that could detach during driving. Its just another in a series of setbacks for Cybertruck owners, some who claim they have been threatened and harassed as targets of anti-Musk hostility.In an effort to buoy support for Musk from inside the Trump administration, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urged Americans to buy Tesla stock during an appearance Wednesday on Fox News, aggravating critics who pointed out that cabinet secretaries should not be recommending individual stocks, especially those linked to a person working for the administration. (Its a deep conflict of interest.) Another issue: Lutnicks former investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Teslas stock just hours before the appearance. The investment bank is now run by Lutnicks sons.As CNBC pointed out, federal government employees are legally prohibited from using their government position or title or any authority associated with his public office to endorse any product, service, or enterprise, save for a few exceptions.But this isnt the first time the Trump administration has brazenly come out in support of Musk and Tesla. Just last week, the president held aphoto opportunity at the White Housewith Musk where he literally got in a Tesla and told Americans: I am going to buy one.Heres the bad news, Im not allowed to drive, but I am going to have it at the White House, Trump saidadding, as he stood next to Musk: And he has never asked me for a thing.