Nearly 300 protesters gathered outside the Tesla dealership in Owings Mills on Saturday, waving homemade signs as drivers slowly passed by beeping their horns in a show of support.

Demonstrators gathered outside Tesla stores across the U.S. on Saturday to protest the automaker’s billionaire CEO, Elon Musk, and his push to slash government spending on behalf of President Donald Trump.

Baltimore resident James Power, 64, was among the hundreds who turned out for the “Tesla Takedown” protest in Owings Mills.

“To be honest, I just saw something on a website, and it wasn’t even a political website, about a Tesla protest. And I felt like, we can go to protests, we can march, we can do all kinds of stuff, but I felt like this one was a little bit different in that it could have a potential to have a financial impact,” Power told The Banner.

The demonstrations are part of a growing backlash to Musk’s disruptive role in Washington.

Critics of Trump and Musk hope to discourage and stigmatize purchases of Tesla, the electric car company that is the world’s most valuable automaker. Liberal groups for weeks have organized anti-Tesla protests in hopes of galvanizing opposition to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Not sure what the turnout would be like, Power was surprised at the large number of protesters when he arrived at the Reisterstown Road location.

“I thought to myself I could be the only person out there, or it’s me and five other people. And, when I got there, there were a lot of people,” Power said. “I was happy.”

Power described the protesters as a cross section of the populace, all races mixed with a strong contingent of federal workers.

Musk is taking direction from Trump to cut federal spending and reduce the workforce, arguing that Trump’s victory gave the president and him a mandate to restructure the U.S. government. DOGE officials have quickly gained access to sensitive databases, directed thousands of federal job cuts, canceled contracts and shut down sections of the government.

Baltimore County Police said officers responded to the Tesla dealership in the 9400 block of Reisterstown Road around 11:15 a.m. after receiving several calls about a large gathering. When officers arrived, they were met by peaceful demonstrators who stated they were there to protest Musk.

The protesters stayed on the public property and did not become disorderly, police said. They peacefully protested until about 12:30 p.m. and then dispersed. There were no arrests, and no property was damaged.

“The police were excellent,“ Power said.

The road, which has a 40 mph speed limit, had drivers traveling much slower, beeping their horns and some even pulling off and joining the protest.

Power, who is an engineer, describes himself as a conservative but because of recent events he’s been driven to vote for Democrats.

He talked about Musk’s current role in the government, calling it “absolutely illegal.”

“He has no authority to decide policy for the U.S. government,” Power said.

Tesla and the White House did not respond to emailed requests for comment Saturday.

More than 50 demonstrations were listed Saturday on the website Tesla Takedown, with more planned later in March from coast to coast in the United States, along with England, Spain and Portugal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.