Donald Trump
Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to say that people sabotaging Teslas in the United States stand a very good chance of going to jail for up to 20 years. The US President added that the “funders” won’t be spared as well.
Earlier this week, multiple Tesla cars were burned at a Las Vegas service center, where the word “resist” was also painted in red across the building's front doors.
The Tesla CEO Elon Musk called the attacks “insane and deeply wrong.” In an exclusive interview with Fox News, he was more direct: “I always thought that Democrats were supposed to be the party of empathy and caring, and yet they are burning down cars, firebombing dealerships.” He later retweeted posts labelling the incidents “terrorism”.
Trump's opinion on the ongoing arson is in Musk's favour.
Trump calls it domestic terrorism
Asked by Fox News if he considered the attacks on Teslas an act of domestic terrorism, Trump responded, “I think so.” He had added that his administration was considering stronger measures to prosecute those involved.
Last week, Trump publicly purchased a Tesla from Musk. “Elon is doing incredible things,” Trump said at a White House event. “We are going to classify these violent protesters targeting Tesla as domestic terrorists.”
Experts say Tesla has become an easy target because of its visibility. “They’re rolling down our streets. They have dealerships in our neighborhoods,” said Randy Blazak, a sociologist who studies political violence, speaking to the Associated Press.