Topline
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday she is opening an investigation into instances of vandalism at Tesla dealerships as protests against company CEO and DOGE chief Elon Musk grow across the country, days after President Donald Trump threatened protesters will go through “hell” and be labeled domestic terrorists.
Tesla protests—including instances of arson and vandalism—have taken place nationwide. (Photo by … [+]
Timeline
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.
News Peg
Bondi 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, stating one person who has been jailed for throwing a Molotov cocktail at a dealership is facing 20 years in prison.
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.”
How Has Musk Responded To The Tesla Protests?
Musk has 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 on Saturday, 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. On Sunday, he posted a “heartfelt thanks to everyone supporting @Tesla, despite many attacks against our stores and offices.”
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)
Read the full article here