Wash staffBy Gwyneth Hill
Sara Steffens and Melissa Knutson, co-founders of the group, show up with the usual protest signs, but they also wear sailors’ caps and onesies as they blow bubbles weekly outside the Tesla showroom in Georgetown.
Their message has caught the attention of conservative activist Laura Loomer, who has posted multiple videos of the group.
WATCH: An elderly white woman wearing a blue shirt that says “Got Privilege?”danced outside the @Tesla Showroom
in Georgetown today for the Tesla Takedown protest. It appears the Democrat base has been reduced to angry, elite, white liberal women. It’s no mystery why the… pic.twitter.com/PbAZogCH2O— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) April 26, 2025
But the group isn’t worried about looking silly. If anything, it helps get their point across. “I always like to carry the ‘Boycott Tesla’ sign because I figure every person who takes that picture and posts it on their social media, like they might think they’re making fun of me, but it’s still ‘boycott Tesla,” Steffens said. “Our message gets out no matter what kind of wrapping they want to put around it.”
The two said that to attract people, they can’t be the average naysaying finger-wagging Democrat. Quoting political strategist Anat Shenker-Osorio, Steffens said, “If you want people to come to your party, you need to throw a better party.”
We’re physically embodying the idea that it’s not normal. We’re going to have to do things a little bit different,” Steffens said. “We’re going to have to be a little bit brave, and it’s okay.
And after reading reports that members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had been sleeping inside the General Services Administration building, they figured they would turn it into a slumber party. Just a few blocks from the White House, their DIY portable boombox in a bicycle buggy blared “Cotton Eyed Joe,” “Hit the Road Jack,” and a song familiar to Musk – “Never Gonna Give You Up” to the dozen participants.
“So, people really love the idea this isn’t just like, ‘come yell at the DOGE boys outside the GSA building,’” said Knutson, a self-employed D.C. resident. “I’m like, ‘we’re wearing pajamas. Bring your pajamas.”
Dance Against Doge believes it can have fun while delegitimizing the current administration at the same time. “It changes the dynamic, like just showing that we don’t have to buy into their narrative, that we can be silly and have fun and thumb our noses at them,” Steffen said. “We know authoritarians hate that anyway.”
But despite their playful manner, the two were nervous. Before they came, the two shared lists of emergency contacts. “If something happens to me, email these people and I’ll do the same with you,” Knutson said. “I’ve never thought that before.”
Guessing there might be about 15 to 20 people attending, the two never know what to expect as participants share their same fears. “People are really scared to sign up because they don’t want to be on a list anywhere,” Steffens said.
The protest began at 6 p.m., with a few people trickling out of the building under the watchful eyes of security guards, while DoorDash and Uber Eats drivers came and went. Still, the group remained largely out of sight, as a barricade of at least 13 police cars and motorcycles blocked the one-way street.
Steffens, who works at a progressive policy nonprofit, is no stranger to picket lines. But she believes that this administration has called for a new type of resistance. A kind that pushes people outside of their comfort zone.
“We’re physically embodying the idea that it’s not normal. We’re going to have to do things a little bit different,” Steffens said. “We’re going to have to be a little bit brave, and it’s okay.”
These protests reflect a growing unease about corporate and political power, said Jared Holt, a research analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue who focuses on political extremism. Musk, whom Holt calls Trump’s “hatchet man,” has become the symbol of that fear. “Corporations have run this country for a long time,” Holt said. “Now they are just letting their hair down.”
A study of 1,000 people nationwide by CNBC All-America Economic found that 47% of participants had a negative view of Tesla. A Yahoo News survey found that 67% of Americans would not consider buying the vehicles. Musk has begun to feel the impact, recently announcing his plans to step away from his role overseeing DOGE as Tesla car sales drop 13%.
As the backlash grew, it pushed Steffens and Knutson to create their own group. Meeting only a few months ago outside the Rockville Tesla showroom, the two wanted to do more than just hold signs. With the enlistment of Mike Kepka, Steffens’ husband and soon-to-be DJ for the group, they began Dance Against Doge.
In more traditional Tesla protests like at the showroom in Tysons, retired Department of Justice attorney Patrice Kopistansky, oversees coordination of her weekly demonstrations. Working with police and reminding protesters of the ground rules, the Third Act and Indivisible member said she has hosted over 200 participants alongside Tyco Road, just outside the Ashburn metro stop.
“To the extent that we are enjoying it- we’re enjoying it because there’s a community that you’re creating of people, like-minded people, who recognize the danger to democracy that we exist in, in the times that we exist in,” Kopistansky said. Many drivers pass by, including Tesla drivers, who honk and wave in support. But not everyone is on board. “Some people lean on the horn and give us the finger,” said Laura Bly, a Virginia native.
However, Kopistansky said that although she doesn’t engage, she believes it is everyone’s right to voice their views. “I can’t stop a MAGA person from yelling and shouting his views,” she said. “I just can stop, to the extent I have influence, I can stop our protestors from engaging and escalating the situation.”
Required to stay 12 feet from the Tesla entrance, Kopistansky said her goal isn’t to intimidate drivers or employees but to use the location merely as a space for non-violent activism. Her demonstration comes as Tesla vehicles have been vandalized across the country, which has led to at least six people facing federal charges.
While their styles may differ, onesies and bubbles in Georgetown or clipboards and careful coordination in Tysons, the three organizers all agree on the importance of these protests.
“The experience of being joyful with people who also care and are trying to make a difference, it’s really helped me, like in all my other work, it’s really helped keep me going,” said Steffens.
Maria Lawson
As a Dance Against Doge Georgetown participant, i want to thank you for getting the tone of the protest–Fun and a serious message. I have not had as much fun protesting since the “Let Them Eat Cake Sale” during the Reagan era!