• Sen. Mark Kelly sold his Tesla, saying he could no longer stand the association with Elon Musk.
• The ex-astronaut has chosen a Chevy Tahoe as his new ride.
• Kelly and Musk once had a friendly relationship, but it has collapsed recently.

Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona on Friday became one of the highest profile figures yet to ditch his Tesla in favor of a new ride, channeling the growing backlash against billionaire Elon Musk.

"Elon Musk kind of turned out to be an asshole," Kelly, a Democrat, said in a video posted on X, explaining why he sold his car. "And I don't want to be driving a car built and designed by an asshole."

Kelly pulled up to Senate votes on Friday in front of the US Capitol in a 2025 Chevy Tahoe Z71, a spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider. Unlike his former Tesla, it is an all-gas vehicle. It gets an estimated 15 miles per gallon city, 20 mpg highway, and 17 mpg combined.

Chevy Tahoes are manufactured in Texas.

Tesla is increasingly bearing the brunt of Musk's rapidly declining popularity. Tesla shares are down more than 50% from their highs, and protests are hitting showrooms across the country. It's unmistakable that the company is paying the price for Musk's ties to the White House DOGE office.

Musk serves as the de facto leader of DOGE, which has targeted government offices for layoffs. Musk previously claimed credit for dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID), saying he fed it into "the woodchipper."

Trump made a show of buying a Tesla earlier this week, showcasing a variety of the automaker's vehicles at the White House.

Kelly once got along with Musk. The former NASA astronaut has repeatedly praised the private space sector, which Musk's SpaceX remains a dominant force in. The pair's relationship has soured in recent weeks. Musk recently called Kelly, a Navy veteran, a "traitor" for visiting Ukraine.

"The only oath I can think of that maybe Elon has sworn is an oath to his own checking account, to his pocketbook, an oath, maybe, to ruining the lives of veterans," Kelly later said during an interview on MSNBC.

According to YouGov, views of Tesla have plummeted since Musk entered the Trump administration. Public sentiment of the automaker is the worst it has been since the polling firm began tracking it in 2016, per data obtained by Sherwood.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., fired back at Elon Musk after the billionaire business tycoon labeled the lawmaker a "traitor" in response to a tweet in which Kelly advocated U.S. support for Ukraine.

"Just left Ukraine. What I saw proved to me we can’t give up on the Ukrainian people. Everyone wants this war to end, but any agreement has to protect Ukraine’s security and can’t be a giveaway to Putin. Let me tell you about my trip and why it’s important we stand with Ukraine," Kelly noted in his post.

"You are a traitor," Musk replied. 

The senator fired back, "Traitor? Elon, if you don’t understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do."

The U.S. has provided Ukraine billions in aid as the Eastern European nation has been at war in response to Russia's invasion.

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But last week, the U.S. announced that it was pausing aid.

"As President Trump and Secretary Rubio have said, it is the policy of the United States that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia is unsustainable and must end. The United States will use our leverage, influence, and national power to advance peace and implement a sustainable solution to this conflict. The killing must stop," the State Department noted. 

"The President has been clear that he is focused on peace. Effective March 3, 2025, we are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution."

When asked last week whether America had paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz stated that the U.S. was "pausing and reviewing all aspects … of this relationship."

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When President Donald Trump was asked on Sunday if he would consider lifting the intelligence pause on Ukraine, he replied, "Well, we just about have." 

The president added that there is a desire to "do anything we can to get Ukraine to be serious about … getting something done." 

Kelly's initial post about Ukraine was just the beginning of a longer message on the topic. 

"Donald Trump is trying to weaken Ukraine’s hand and we are owed an explanation. If Putin gains ground he won’t agree to a ceasefire and will eventually threaten a NATO ally and this puts American troops and the American people at risk," Kelly declared in one of his tweets.

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"The world will become a very cold and lonely place if we continue this ridiculous ‘screw you, go it alone’ foreign policy. It’s dumb and it won’t age well and puts you and your kids and your grandkids at risk. America is the strongest, richest country in the world. We didn’t get there by being bullies like Putin, we got there by leading from the front and bringing our allies. That’s why I’ll continue to share with everyone who will listen why we must keep supporting Ukraine," Kelly asserted at the conclusion of his comments.