Is Elon Musk's political profile and BFF status with President Trump hurting sales of Austin-based Tesla? Maybe — but it's complicated, analysts say. Why it matters: Tesla is by far the U.S. electric vehicle sales leader and long the world's top seller (though it has recently been trading the lead with China's BYD).

Tesla sales are in an unprecedented slide. Competitors are rapidly gaining ground. There’s a lot of bad news for Tesla lately – but it’s unclear if the politics of its polarizing CEO, Elon Musk, are to blame.

Tesla’s financial tale, however, has taken a turn since Trump took the oath of office with Tesla stock down over 17% since Jan. 21, as of midday Friday. Just weeks before the inauguration, Tesla reported the first full-year drop in global sales in its history as a public company, according to a report from CNN.