Attacks on properties bearing the logo of the electric car company Elon Musk are proliferating inside and outside the United States. Although no injuries have been reported, Tesla dealerships, vehicle parking lots, charging stations, and privately owned cars have been targeted in these attacks.
There has been a clear increase since President Donald Trump took office and empowered Musk to oversee a new Department of Governmental Efficiency that is cutting public spending. Experts in domestic extremism say it is still impossible to know if this series of incidents will become a long-term pattern.
During Trump's first term, his properties in New York City, Washington, and other locations became a natural site for protests. In the early days of his second term, Tesla is taking on that role.
"Tesla is an easy target," said Randy Blazak, a sociologist studying political violence. "They are rolling on our streets. They have dealerships in our neighborhoods."
Critics of Musk have organized dozens of peaceful demonstrations at Tesla dealerships and factories in North America and Europe. Some Tesla owners, including a U.S. senator who had a dispute with Musk, have pledged to sell their vehicles.
The attacks keep police busy
Prosecutors in Colorado charged a woman last month in connection with a series of attacks on Tesla dealerships, including Molotov cocktails thrown at vehicles and the words "Nazi cars" painted on a building.
And federal agents in South Carolina arrested a man last week who they say set fire to Tesla charging stations near Charleston. An agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives wrote in an affidavit that authorities found texts critical of the government and DOGE in his bedroom and wallet.
"The statement mentioned sending a message based on these beliefs," the agent wrote.
Several of the most prominent incidents have been reported in left-leaning cities on the Pacific Northwest coast, such as Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, where anti-Trump and anti-Musk sentiment is high.
A man from Oregon faces charges after allegedly throwing several Molotov cocktails at a Tesla store in Salem, and then returning another day to shoot at the windows. In the suburb of Tigard, in Portland, over a dozen bullets were fired at a Tesla dealership last week, causing damage to vehicles and windows, marking the second time in a week the store was targeted.
Four Cybertrucks were set on fire in a Tesla parking lot in Seattle earlier this month. On Friday, witnesses reported a man pouring gasoline on an unoccupied Tesla Model S and setting it on fire on a Seattle street.
In Las Vegas, several Tesla vehicles were set on fire early Tuesday morning in front of a Tesla service center, where the word "resist" was painted in red on the main doors of the building. Authorities said at least one person threw Molotov cocktails -crude incendiary devices filled with gasoline or other flammable liquid- and fired shots at the vehicles.
"Was this terrorism? Was it something else? It certainly has some of the characteristics we might think of -the writing on the wall-, a possible political intent, an act of violence," said Spencer Evans, the special agent in charge of the FBI office in Las Vegas, at a press conference. "None of those factors escape our notice."
Tesla was once the darling of the left. The company, which thrived with the help of a $465 million federal loan during the Obama administration, popularized electric vehicles and proved, despite its initial reputation, that they did not have to be small, outdated, underpowered, and limited in range.
However, more recently Musk has aligned himself with the right. He bought the social network Twitter, renamed it X, and removed restrictions that had angered conservatives. He is estimated to have spent $250 million to boost Trump's campaign in 2024, becoming his top benefactor.
Musk continues to lead Tesla -as well as X and rocket manufacturer SpaceX- while serving as an advisor to Trump.
Tesla's stock doubled in value in the weeks following Trump's election, but has since lost all those gains.
Trump gave the company a boost when he turned access to the White House into a showcase of electric vehicles. The president promoted the vehicles and said he would buy an $80,000 Model S, setting aside his past harsh criticisms of electric vehicles.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. Musk briefly addressed the vandalism on Monday during an appearance on Senator Ted Cruz's podcast, saying that "at least part of this is organized and funded" by "left-wing organizations in the United States, funded by left-wing billionaires, basically."
"This level of violence is insane and deeply wrong," Musk wrote on X on Tuesday, sharing a video of several Tesla models on fire in Las Vegas. "Tesla only manufactures electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks."
The progressive group Indivisible, which published a guide for supporters to organize protests titled "Musk or us" nationwide, said in a statement that all their guidance is publicly available and "explicitly encourages peaceful protest and condemns any acts of violence or vandalism."
Some Tesla owners have turned to mocking bumper stickers to distance themselves from the new stigma of their vehicles and perhaps deter potential vandals. They say things like "I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy" or "I just wanted an electric car. Sorry, guys."
The prices of used Cybertrucks, Tesla's most distinctive product, have dropped by almost 8% since Trump took office, according to CarGurus, which aggregates second-hand vehicle listings. The market as a whole remained stable during this period.
The White House has backed Musk, the most prominent member of the government and a key donor to committees promoting Trump's political interests. Trump has said that vandalism against Tesla is equivalent to "domestic terrorism," and has threatened retaliation, warning that those who attack the company "will go through hell."
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had opened an investigation "to see how this is being funded, who is behind this."
"If you're going to touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do something, you better be careful because we're coming after you," Bondi said on Friday on Fox Business Network. In a statement on Tuesday, she promised to "continue investigations that impose severe consequences," even for "those who operate behind the scenes to coordinate and finance these crimes."
Colin Clarke, a veteran researcher at the Soufan Center, said left-wing political violence tends to target property rather than people. He considers the rise of neo-Nazi groups to pose a greater security threat at this time.
"It's not the kind of act I would prioritize," Clarke said. "Not right now compared to all the other threats that exist."
Theresa Ramsdell is the president of the Washington State Tesla Owners group, a club for Tesla enthusiasts. She and her husband own three of them.
"Hate Elon and Trump all you want; that's fine, it's your choice," she said. "It doesn't justify ruining someone's property, vandalizing it, destroying it, setting it on fire. There are other ways to make your voice heard that are more effective."