Tesla Terrorists

Who could have predicted that the next wave of terrorism would be leftists attacking electric cars?

Demonstrations are popping up at Tesla dealerships, which sometimes escalate into violence. Vandals proudly post videos of spray-painted Tesla vehicles. Longtime Tesla owners put stickers on their cars saying, “I bought this before Elon went crazy,” hoping for leniency from their judgmental peers. One Tesla owner hacked the distinctive T logo from his car and replaced it with one from a Toyota, fooling no-one.

Some frustrated anti-Muskers are moving to more destructive forms of vandalism against Tesla cars and showrooms. Tesla charging stations are being blocked, broken and burned. In Oregon, shots were fired and Molotov cocktails thrown at a dealership. The FBI is investigating arson against a Tesla facility in Las Vegas, and US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the “swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic terrorism.”

Bondi has a point.

Anti-Tesla action is not simply spontaneous grass-roots citizen activism but an increasingly organized effort to create mayhem. One report noted at least five progressive groups active in anti-Tesla actions: Troublemakers, Disruption Project, Rise & Resist, Indivisible Project, and the Democratic Socialists of America. Musk charges that these groups are being supported by ActBlue, a progressive fundraising clearinghouse that has lately come under Congressional scrutiny for misuse of funds, particularly using foreign donations to influence American political campaigns. The “Tesla Takedown” website gives the dates, times and locations for demonstrations. The DOGEQUEST website claims to dox Tesla owners nationwide, “empowering creative expressions of protest that you can execute from the comfort of your own home.”

Most of the people demonstrating against Tesla do not fit the usual domestic terrorist profile. They tend to be older, white, educated, and upper-middle class, a key liberal demographic. Perhaps they are affected by DOGE cuts, maybe former USAID employees with nothing better to do. They would not consider themselves extremists, though their political views are far out of the mainstream. This anti-Tesla crowd is more staid than, say, pro-Palestinian campus demonstrators. They show up for some performative weekend sign waving before heading off to the local suburban famer’s market, enjoying congratulatory empanadas and lattes for sticking it to Elon.

But while anti-Tesla actions like boycotts and peaceful demonstrations fall under the rubric of protected free speech, intentional vandalism, destruction of property and intimidation do not. The fact that this activity is organized and funded adds another layer of intent pointing towards terrorism.

Those committed to violent action against Tesla argue that vandalism is a justified means of self-defense. They claim that people are being driven to violence because DOGE represents a form of violence in itself. This “legitimate resistance” logic to justify violence is common among radical extremist groups in the US and abroad – we hear a lot of it from Hamas for example.

If the anti-Musk movement continues to gravitate away from peaceful demonstrations and towards destructive action, the perpetrators can fully expect President Trump to make good on his promise to make life hell for them. The FBI longer sees parents at school board meetings, conservative Catholics or people flying the Gadsden flag as domestic terrorists. Instead, the Bureau will be clamping down on organized radical extremist groups committing political violence seeking to foment revolutionary change. That includes the Tesla terrorists.

James S. Robbins is the Dean of Academics at the Institute of World Politics Graduate School in Washington DC, and a former Defense Department official who specializes in counter-terrorism.