A German pharmacy chain with a distaste for President Trump is the first major company to cite Elon Musk’s political stance as a reason to quit purchasing Teslas for future use. 

Dirk Rossmann GmbH says it will no longer buy any Tesla cars after Mr. Musk endorsed the Republican candidate for a second term. 

The 61,000-employee, 4,000-branch drugstore said this week that it will halt the purchases of Teslas “with immediate effect.”

A senior research fellow at the Mercatus Institute who focuses on international trade, Christine McDaniel, tells the Sun that Rossmann’s decision to suspend purchases because of Mr. Musk’s political leaning is “ad hoc and unusual.”

She notes that, regardless of whether this attitude spreads to other German or European retailers, “this episode shows why most CEOs tend to stay away from political commentary. As Michael Jordan famously said, ‘Republicans buy sneakers, too.’”

The company claims that Mr. Musk’s political stance contradicts Tesla’s mission to provide a sustainable alternative to gasoline cars.

“Elon Musk makes no secret of supporting Donald Trump. Trump has repeatedly described climate change as a fraud – this attitude is in stark contrast to Tesla’s mission to contribute to environmental protection by producing electric cars,” the company said in a statement.

“For this reason, the company Rossmann will no longer purchase Tesla vehicles for its fleet in the future,” it added.

Rossmann has not responded to the Sun’s initial request seeking comment on this matter. 

The electric car mogul “fully” endorsed Trump on X last month following the apparent attempt on his life during a rally at Butler, Pennsylvania. Mr. Musk then pledged to donate to the pro-Trump America PAC organization.

Mr. Musk said he is making that donation because “Republicans are mostly, but not entirely, on the side of merit and freedom.”

Other European companies have dropped their use of Teslas for different reasons, citing uncertainty because of price cuts, as well as the wider availability of different types of electric cars in Europe compared to America.

The Republican presidential nominee is set to sit down for a one-on-one interview with Mr. Musk on Monday night.