
US President Donald Trump claimed that recent arson attacks on Tesla vehicles across the country could be acts of “domestic political terrorism” driven by ‘left-wing operatives’. His remarks came during a segment on The Ingraham Angle Tuesday night.
The conversation with Fox News host Laura Ingraham touched on the incident of five Tesla set on fire in Las Vegas. When pressed by Ingraham on whether he considers these attacks an act of domestic terrorism, Trump responded, “I think so,” adding that he believes the perpetrators may be linked to politically motivated groups on the left.
“The good thing is they have a lot of cameras in those places, and they’ve caught some already having to do with that,” Trump said, adding, “I think that you will find out that they’re paid by people that are very highly political on the left.”
Trump also praised Tesla CEO Elon Musk, describing him as a “patriot” who became an ally during the 2024 presidential campaign. “I hardly knew Elon until the election,” Trump admitted. “He turned out that he liked me better than he liked these radical lunatics… because he’s an intelligent person.” According to Trump, Musk believed that the country’s future was at risk if he did not win re-election.
Series of attack on Tesla vehicles and dealerships
The recent in Las Vegas is just one in a series of violent attacks on Tesla. In another incident recently, a man attempting to torch a Tesla charging station in protest against US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk ended up setting himself on fire, authorities said. In another incident of alleged arson, fire erupted in two Tesla Cybertrucks at a dealership in Kansas City, Missouri on Monday evening.
The recent attack in Las Vegas is just one in a series of violent incidents targeting Tesla. According to the Kansas City Police Department, a fire erupted in two Tesla Cybertrucks at a dealership in Kansas City, Missouri, on Monday evening. Last week, “more than a dozen” shots were fired at a Tesla dealership in Tigard, Oregon. In Colorado, a Tesla dealership was firebombed, with vandals spray-painting “Nazi cars” on the building. On March 11, three Teslas were vandalized in Dedham, Massachusetts, with spray-painted messages and tire damage reported.
These incidents follow a pattern of escalating violence against the electric vehicle company, which has faced vandalism and protests since Tesla CEO Elon Musk took on a government role.