» Tesla vandalism sparked by fury against Musk draws GOP criticism

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(Bloomberg) — Molotov cocktails at Tesla showrooms. Disturbing messages on Cybertrucks. Vandalism at charging stations.

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A backlash against Elon Musk is taking the form of physical attacks against Tesla Inc. cars and dealerships as a growing rank of protesters is emboldened. Their actions are drawing a response from the Trump administration, which is vowing to prosecute those engaging in violence. Caught in the middle are millions of customers whose electric vehicles increasingly are viewed as political symbols.

The public displays of anger, stemming from Musk’s outsize role in the administration, has led the president’s backers to step up their response. US Attorney General Pam Bondi said this week that attacks on Tesla property were “nothing short of domestic terrorism.” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urged Fox News viewers to buy Tesla, describing the stock as a bargain.

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President Donald Trump himself recently made a show of purchasing one of the vehicles outside of the White House. Trump came out on Friday vowing to retaliate against people who vandalized Teslas and give them “20 year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla.”

Musk, on his X platform, has repeatedly railed against “violence” and said Thursday that Tesla has turned on a security feature on all vehicles at its showrooms. Late in the evening, he streamed a surprise all-hands meeting, where he said the company is “overall good” despite media coverage of burning vehicles making it feel like “Armageddon.”

He also urged employees to “hang on to your stock” after it plunged by half in three months.

From Brooklyn to Austin to the Bay Area, coordinated weekend protests at showrooms are attracting more people each week. The organizers, a decentralized group called Tesla Takedown, held a mobilization call Wednesday that included celebrities, politicians and academics and said it is targeting March 29 as the biggest day of action yet, with a goal to have same-day protests at 500 locations worldwide. The group has condemned destruction and stressed that demonstrations should be nonviolent.

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Taken together, the backlash has reached levels that are unprecedented for corporate America, said Mike Paul, chief executive officer of Reputation Doctor, a firm that advises brands on crises and reputation. Unlike typical consumer outcry that might show up through a boycott, every Tesla showroom, vehicle and charging station is a reminder of the brand and marks a place for potential protest.

“I believe we’re going to see more Teslas on fire, I believe we’re going to see a lot more protests at showrooms all over the world, and I think anyone that owns a Tesla who has it parked on the street is at risk,” Paul said. “And I don’t think that’s going away anytime soon.”

That’s affecting Tesla owners such as Avi Benhamo, who was standing on a Brooklyn street corner last week when he noticed a stranger approaching his Cybertruck. He watched as the man wrote a message into the dust coating his vehicle: “Elon Musk equals swastika.”

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Benhamo said the incident highlighted an unsettling new dynamic — owning a Tesla now means becoming a political target.

“I don’t care for Elon Musk,” Benhamo said. “I like the car, and I am driving the car. You have your own agenda, go online. Say whatever you want online. Don’t draw your swastika on my car.”

Other incidents have been more extreme. In Salem, Oregon, a man was charged after he allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at a Tesla showroom, according to a criminal complaint. In Loveland, Colorado, a woman faces federal charges after surveillance video allegedly captured her throwing gasoline-filled Smirnoff Ice bottles at parked Teslas at a showroom and spray-painting an expletive across its doors, federal prosecutors said.

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Authorities in North Charleston, South Carolina, charged a man for damaging Tesla Superchargers with vandalism targeting Trump and writing “Long Live Ukraine,” before igniting beer bottles fashioned into firebombs.

Defendants in those cases face penalties of as much as 20 years in prison.

The acts have stretched north to Canada, where Trump’s tariffs and expansionary rhetoric have sparked deep-seated anger among residents. Police in Hamilton, Ontario, said Thursday that more than 80 vehicles were damaged at a Tesla dealership, including scratches and punctured tires. This week, a car show in Vancouver removed Tesla as an exhibitor, citing safety concerns.

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Sales declines

Owners such as Benhamo, who said he has no intention of giving up his truck, show how it’s difficult to measure the effect of the anger on Tesla sales. Consumers are unlikely to switch a car they’ve already purchased based on political leanings, while conservative buyers may be eager to support Musk.

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Some owners have taken to placing anti-Musk stickers on their vehicles rather than selling. Meanwhile, prices for used Teslas are cratering, meaning that any owners who want to get rid of their cars potentially will have to do so at big losses.

“Unlike switching smartphone brands or streaming services, replacing a car is a major financial decision, and even the most disillusioned Tesla owners will likely hold onto their vehicles out of necessity,” said Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds.

Still, data from Edmunds found that this month marked the highest share on record of Teslas being traded in toward new or used purchases at dealerships. Last month, Tesla new-model shopping consideration on Edmunds dropped to 1.8%, the lowest since October 2022.

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Tesla shares have plunged more than 50% from a December high. At the all-hands meeting Thursday evening, Musk said that despite “rocky moments” employees should expect better times ahead. He made lofty predictions about the company’s future, including that autonomous Tesla products would be global in five years.

Last year marked the EV maker’s first annual drop in vehicle deliveries in more than a decade. Sales and shipments have dropped precipitously in key markets including Europe and China. Market researcher Kelley Blue Book estimates the company sold about 43,650 vehicles in the US in February, among its lowest monthly totals of the past three years.

In research notes, a number of analysts have called out Musk’s politics as a potential issue for the company. Analysts at Oppenheimer & Co. said this week that Tesla’s stock price would partly be determined by the company’s ability to replace some of its consumer base.

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“While we see potential for a conservative customer base to emerge, we believe the company’s product line is not a great match,” the analysts wrote, noting Tesla’s dealer and service infrastructure isn’t well set up geographically for that demographic.

A separate note from TD Cowen said increased EV adoption in conservative regions may bolster the company’s sales. The shift could result in a net gain for Tesla of about 107,000 units over time, the analysts wrote.

Stephen Hahn of RepTrak, a reputation advisory firm, said his firm’s measure of Tesla’s reputation, based on a proprietary system of data points, has dropped 29 points from “strong” in September 2021 to “vulnerable” in February 2025. If it falls further to “poor” it could be considered a crisis that’s hard to come back from, he said.

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“It would suggest there are some challenges ahead for Tesla, not just based on reputation, but how that translates to people making purchasing decisions and otherwise now looking at alternative EVs,” Hahn said.

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‘All on Elon’

The attention on the company is increasing from both sides of the political aisle. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 election, joked that he tracks Tesla’s falling share price on an iPhone app for a “boost” and quipped about pulling off its logo from cars with dental floss. Musk fired back on social media, referencing Walz and Harris’ election defeat.

On a podcast released Thursday, Vice President JD Vance called the vandalism terrorism and said the administration “won’t stand for it.”

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“We have to do everything we can,” he said. “If we identify people who are committing crimes we are going to prosecute them.”

Meanwhile, Tesla Takedown is looking to amplify its movement even more. The group has about 115 events listed on its website for this upcoming weekend. About 70 are already registered for March 29.

Wednesday’s group call attracted speakers including Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett and actors Alex Winter and John Cusack. Winter, best known for his role in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, pushed back on unsubstantiated comments that Musk and others have made about dark money funding the backlash.

“Elon Musk only has himself to blame for tanking this company,” Winter said. “It’s all on Elon. There is no conspiracy. There is no well-funded cabal. It is just Elon Musk who has taken Tesla down, and meanwhile, the protests will continue to grow.”

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A group called Planet Over Profit is taking part in a protest at a Tesla showroom in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District this weekend, said Sophie Shepherd, one of the organizers. At the first event on March 8, attendees gathered with signs, chants and speeches against Musk.

“We want to make him toxic,” Shepherd said. “We don’t want people doing business with him, we don’t want him to have the power he has in the federal government.”

Between 300 and 350 people attended the first protest, Shepherd said. She expects at least the same this Saturday.

—With assistance from Thomas Seal, Sarah McGregor and Craig Trudell.

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