- Teslas are being vandalized and burned across the country in apparent retaliation against Elon Musk's role in the Trump administration's DOGE actions.
- Notable attacks include an incident in Las Vegas on Tuesday where Molotov cocktails and gunshots damaged multiple Teslas at a collision center.
- Public figures like Jimmy Kimmel and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz have celebrated Tesla's stock decline amid the vandalism.
Teslas are being vandalized and burned across the country and beyond in apparent retaliation against the company’s CEO, Elon Musk.
Musk has been the face of the Trump administration’s DOGE efforts, focused on reeling in government spending. After the department cut funding to USAID and initiated thousands of federal worker layoffs, Musk has grown increasingly unpopular among Democrats and other Americans.
Notable attacks have occurred in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Massachusetts, Germany’s capital and more.
During Tuesday’s White House press briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned the recent attacks.
“We think it’s despicable, the violence that has taken place against Tesla, the company, its employees and also just Americans who have chosen to drive an electric vehicle. Many of them are Democrats, by the way,” Leavitt said.
She also said the White House team hopes Democratic Party leaders will publicly condemn the violence against the company.
On Tuesday, an offender used Molotov cocktails followed by gunshots to set multiple vehicles on fire at a Tesla collision center in Las Vegas, Nevada, per the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., wrote in an X post, Tuesday afternoon, “I have full confidence in law enforcement to complete their investigation and hold those responsible accountable,”
“Let me be clear: these actions are unacceptable, and I condemn them fully,” she said.
Five Teslas were damaged, and two were set on fire. The attack happened a little before 3 a.m., and the attacker painted the word “Resist” on the center’s front doors.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo also spoke out about the attack on X, writing, “This type of politically-motivated violence is despicable — and those responsible will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Attorney General Pam Bondi discussed the recent Las Vegas attack during a Fox News appearance, Tuesday.
“We have someone in jail right now from one of the dealerships. They threw a Molotov cocktail through a dealership. They’re looking at up to 20 years in prison,” Bondi said. “So if you’re going to touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do anything, you better watch out, because we’re coming after you.”
Musk addressed the attacks in an X post, Tuesday, writing, “This level of violence is insane and deeply wrong.” Musk included a video of the attack in Las Vegas.
“Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks,” he added.
Are the Tesla attacks organized?
Appearing on Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s podcast on Monday, Musk said “at least some” of the attacks have been “organized and paid for” by “left-wing organizations in America, funded by left-wing billionaires, essentially.” Musk suggested that ActBlue, a Democratic Party fundraising org could be involved.
However, on X it appears as though most Tesla vandalism has been perpetrated by ordinary people against ordinary people.
One man posted a video of himself and his Cyber Truck to X after it was anonymously vandalized on the side of the street. The vehicle appears to be dented and is covered in paint with expletives and references to Musk.
“What the (expletive) do I have to do with Elon?” he asked. “I like the car cuz it’s a nice little car. This is crazy. Look at this. I’m riding around with my son in this car.”
Similarly, Jeff Nguyen from Dallas, Texas, posted a video to Facebook taken by his Tesla’s body camera showing a man walk by with his luggage, pull out his keys and deface the car, which was parked in the airport parking lot.
“This was fun to come home to …” he wrote.
The Deseret News reached out to the South Salt Lake and Pleasant Grove Tesla dealerships, but both declined to comment.
Several high profile figures openly celebrate Tesla stock dropping amid car attacks
During his late night show on Tuesday, Jimmy Kimmel discussed Musk’s most recent news appearances, referencing involvement in bringing NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams home from the International Space Station.
“Our co-president Elon Musk sent a Space X vehicle to bring the astronauts back, and when they landed, he fired them immediately upon landing,” Kimmel joked.
“Tesla stock is way down, almost disastrously so,” he said and was interrupted by cheering and applause. Kimmel continued, “People have been vandalizing vehicles, new Tesla vehicles, please don’t vandalize Tesla vehicles,” Kimmel said, and then he stopped and smiled at the camera and was met by laughs.
Kimmel is not the only one celebrating Tesla stock decline.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted a video to his own X account, saying he added Tesla to his stocks app to get “a little boost during the day.”
“225 and dropping,” he said, which was again met by applause. “And if you own one (a tesla), we’re not blaming you. You can take dental floss and pull the Tesla thing off you know.”
The video was taken during a speech Walz gave at the Wisconsin State Capitol on Tuesday. “I’m not a vindictive person or anything but I take great pleasure in the fact that this guy’s life is going to get very, very difficult,” Walz said.
Musk responded to the post, writing, “Sometimes when I need a little boost, I look at the @JDVance portrait in the @WhiteHouse and thank the Lord.”