Topline
President Donald Trump slammed the vandalism targeting Tesla stores and vehicles that has swept the country in recent weeks, suggesting in a Truth Social post vandals should serve 20 years in prison in El Salvador, as his administration’s Justice Department and FBI say they are investigating these protests against CEO and DOGE chief Elon Musk.
Tesla protests—including instances of arson and vandalism—have taken place nationwide. (Photo by … More
Timeline
More than 80 Tesla vehicles were damaged with “deep scratches and punctured tires” at a dealership in Ontario, Canada, among the largest instances of Tesla vandalism in recent weeks, prompting a police investigation.
At least five Teslas were damaged in Las Vegas after an individual set cars on fire and fired at least three rounds of gunshots in a “targeted attack” on a Tesla facility, where the suspect also painted the word “RESIST” on the storefront’s windows, Las Vegas police said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
Two Tesla Cybertrucks caught fire at a Kansas City dealership in an incident police suspect may be arson, the Kansas City Star reported.
More than a dozen shots were fired at a Tesla dealership in Tigard, Oregon, the second such incident at that location in one week, causing damage to cars and store windows, police said.
Protesters from Just Stop Oil, a British environmentalist group, poured orange liquid latex over a Tesla Optimus robot at a company store in London as a form of protest against Musk, whom organizers said in a statement is “throwing hundreds of thousands of people out of work, jeopardising climate science and denying healthcare to vulnerable people.”
Three Tesla vehicles at a Dedham, Massachusetts, Tesla dealership were vandalized, police said, with all four wheels on each vehicle damaged and two others defaced with spray paint.
Four Tesla Cybertrucks were damaged in a fire in Seattle, fire officials told the Associated Press, though the origin of the fire is unclear and under investigation.
A man unintentionally set his clothes on fire while also setting fire to three Tesla charging stations with Molotov cocktails in a North Charleston, South Carolina parking lot, while wearing a shirt that said “F— Trump, long live Ukraine,” multiple local outlets reported.
At least seven shots were fired at a Tigard, Oregon, Tesla dealership, police said, which caused damage to three cars and the store’s windows.
Police said seven Tesla charging stations in Littleton, Massachusetts, sustained heavy damage in fires that appeared to be intentionally set.
Baltimore County Police said graffiti was found at a Tesla dealership in Owings Mills, Maryland, which said “No Musk” alongside what appeared to resemble a swastika.
42-year-old Colorado resident Lucy Grace Nelson was confronted by police and charged with malicious destruction of property for numerous alleged instances of vandalism at a Tesla dealership in Loveland, Colorado, with police finding a “container of gasoline plus a box of bottles and wick material” in her car, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.
Windows at a Salem, Oregon, Tesla dealership were damaged by a man firing bullets from an AR-style rifle—the second incident connected to the Salem man, who faces a federal weapons charge, and who police say previously vandalized the dealership in January.
Nelson allegedly sprayed graffiti using an expletive on the front windows of the Loveland Tesla dealership, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, leading to a confrontation with a security guard.
Nelson was accused of using red graffiti on a wall of the Loveland Tesla dealership and a possible arson, with police finding “multiple broken bottles consistent with incendiary devices,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Police accused Nelson of spray-painting the word “Nazi” on the Loveland Tesla dealership sign.
Nelson allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail aimed at a Cybertruck on display at the Loveland Tesla dealership, causing a fire, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The Salem man reportedly threw Molotov cocktails at Tesla vehicles, causing a fire impacting one vehicle, police said.
Did Trump Say Tesla Vandals Should Be Jailed In El Salvador?
In a Truth Social post Friday morning, Trump said “sick terrorist thugs” who have vandalized Tesla vehicles should serve 20-year sentences, suggesting: “Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions!” Nayib Bukele, President of El Salvador, accepted hundreds of migrants deported from the United States last week, and transferred them to the country’s infamous Terrorism Confinement Center. The prison, among others in El Salvador, has been accused of human rights abuses by organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, as incarceration has dramatically increased under Bukele’s presidency.
What Has The Justice Department Said About The Tesla Protests?
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced charges against three individuals suspected to have vandalized Tesla vehicles on Thursday, relating to instances of vandalism in Loveland, Colorado, Salem, Oregon and Charleston, South Carolina. Bondi said each defendant faces “serious charges” that could result in five to 20 years in prison. “Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars,” Bondi’s statement said. In a previous statement Tuesday, Bondi said the instances of vandalism are “nothing short of domestic terrorism” and said the Justice Department has already charged several demonstrators, some of whom face mandatory five-year sentences. Bondi threatened “severe consequences on those involved in these attacks, including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes.” Bondi previously said in a Fox Business interview Friday morning she has directed an investigation be opened into the Tesla protests to prosecute perpetrators and to find anyone who may be funding these protests. “If you’re going to touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do anything, you better watch out because we’re coming after you,” Bondi said.
Are Tesla Owners Trading In Their Cars?
Tesla owners are trading in their vehicles in record numbers, according to data from car shopping website Edmunds. Edmunds said March has had “the highest ever share” of Tesla trade-ins, CNBC reported.
What Has The Fbi Said About The Tesla Protests?
Dan Bongino, who was sworn in as the FBI’s deputy director under Kash Patel earlier this week, said in a post on X Wednesday night he is “actively working on the Tesla incidents” in one of his first official posts in office. Spencer Evans, who leads the FBI’s Las Vegas field office, said at a press conference earlier this week the FBI is investigating the incident that targeted a Las Vegas facility and left five vehicles damaged earlier this week. “To those who might think that something like this is justifiable or potentially even admirable, we want you to know this is a federal crime,” Evans said.
How Has Musk Responded To The Tesla Protests?
Musk told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Thursday he believes there are “larger forces at work” that are “funding” and “coordinating” the Tesla protests, echoing earlier unfounded claims he made blaming billionaires and Democratic-affiliated organizations for the vandalism. In a post Tuesday on X, Musk slammed the Tesla vehicles being set on fire in Las Vegas as “terrorism.” He said the “level of violence is insane and deeply wrong,” adding Tesla “just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks.” Musk dubiously pointed fingers at various billionaires, including George Soros and Reid Hoffman, though he hasn’t provided evidence to back up his claims that they’re behind the protests. In a post on X last week, he claimed an “investigation”—without naming a specific investigation—found Soros, Hoffman, the ActBlue Democratic fundraising conduit and various left-wing groups to be responsible for the protests. He also posted a “heartfelt thanks to everyone supporting @Tesla, despite many attacks against our stores and offices.”
Did Trump Say Tesla Vandals Should Be Considered Domestic Terrorists?
Yes. During a demonstration at the White House on Tuesday, in which five Tesla vehicles were lined up with Musk in attendance, right-wing Real America’s Voice reporter Brian Glenn suggested to Trump that “some say they should be labeled domestic terrorists.” Trump responded: “I will do that. I’ll do it. I’m going to stop them,” adding, “You do it to Tesla and you do it to any company, we’re going to catch you and you’re going to go through hell.” Glenn has tweeted critically of the Tesla protests, urging the government to “shut it down immediately” in a post on X, which he made in response to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who posted a letter she and other representatives sent to the Department of Justice and FBI urging them to prosecute Tesla vandals for domestic terrorism. A day prior to Trump’s Tesla demonstration, he said on Truth Social he would purchase a Tesla as a show of support for Musk, slamming the “Radical Left Lunatics” for protesting the car company, which Trump claimed is “illegal.”
Could Tesla Vandals Be Prosecuted As Domestic Terrorists?
There is no federal charge for domestic terrorism, so individuals suspected to have committed acts of domestic terrorism must instead be charged with other crimes. The United States federal criminal code defines domestic terrorism as “acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State” that are intended to coerce either the civilian population or government policy, or to impact the government through “mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping.”
Surprising Fact
Tesla protests have also taken place internationally. Twelve Tesla vehicles were set on fire in Toulouse, France, on March 2 in an incident prosecutors say was “not at all accidental.” A Tesla factory near Berlin was set on fire March 5, causing a power outage. A far-left group, Volcano Group, claimed responsibility for the apparent arson in Berlin.
What Is “tesla Takedown?”
Some peaceful protests against Tesla dealerships in cities across the United States have been linked to “Tesla Takedown,” an organization that urges people to “sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines,” according to its website. Actor Alex Winter is a key figure behind the protests, which he began organizing in February. He posted on BlueSky on Tuesday that Tesla Takedown is a “peaceful, grassroots protest movement formed by many thousands of concerned citizens,” hitting back at Trump’s claim the Tesla protests are “illegal.”
Key Background
Trump’s Tesla show at the White House came after Tesla stock plummeted earlier this week in a rough stretch for Musk. Tesla stock’s more than 12% plunge Monday capped what has been a disastrous stretch for Tesla investors, as the drop meant all of the stock’s 91% post-Trump election victory gain had been wiped out, with Monday being the stock’s seventh-worst day in the company’s 15-year history. The stock nosedive chipped away at Musk’s net worth, erasing $23 billion Monday alone. Musk’s other businesses also took a hit in recent days, as X faced an outage—which Musk blamed on a “massive cyberattack” allegedly “originating in the Ukraine area”—and a SpaceX Starship test flight ended in an explosion for the second-straight time.
Tangent
Musk has held onto the reins of his various companies, including Tesla, SpaceX and X (formerly Twitter), while working as the Department of Government Efficiency’s leader—but Musk told Fox Business on Monday he is juggling his business and political ventures “with great difficulty.”
Further Reading
Trump Gets Behind The Wheel Of A Tesla To Support Elon Musk As Company Stock Falls (Forbes)
Elon Musk Dubiously Blames Billionaires George Soros, Reid Hoffman Over Tesla Protests—Citing Unnamed ‘Investigation’ (Forbes)
