WASHINGTON, March 22 (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.