Tech billionaire Elon Musk suggested Thursday that the Trump administration will crack down on vehicle vandalization, expressing his concerns about protestors targeting Tesla dealerships across the U.S. and abroad.
“The president’s made it clear. We’re gonna go after them,” Musk said during a Thursday appearance on Fox News’s “Special Report.”
“The ones providing the money, the ones pushing the lies and propaganda, we’re going after them,” he added.
His comments come days after Attorney General Pam Bondi said attacks on Tesla property would be considered “domestic terrorism” while urging Democratic leaders to apologize for remarks about the electric vehicle company. Several people have already been charged for the vandalism.
“It’s really unfortunate,” Musk told Fox’s Bret Baier. “The real problem is not the people — it’s not like the crazy guy that firebombs a Tesla dealership. It’s the people pushing the propaganda that cause that guy to do it.”
“Those are the real villains here and we’re gonna go after them,” the Tesla CEO added.
In addition to backlash from lawmakers, the “Tesla Takedown” movement has encouraged individuals across the world to divest in stock, sell their cars to “stop Musk” from working with President Trump to organize major funding cuts, mass layoffs and reduce government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The group has spearheaded protests internationally and has slated Saturday as a “Global Day of Action” against the company.
Their efforts have also warranted the company’s removal from an auto show in Vancouver amid safety concerns from demonstrations.
“Tesla’s a peaceful company that has made great cars, great products. That’s all it’s done,” Musk told Fox News. “It hasn’t harmed anyone.”
“And yet people are committing violence. They are firebombing Tesla dealerships,” he said. “They are shooting guns into stores. They’re threatening people.”
Trump, who publicly purchased a Tesla earlier this month in support of his key ally as stocks dipped, compared the vandalism to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the Capitol, suggesting the attacks were worse.
“I view these people as terrorists, just like others,” the president told reporters from the White House last week. “When I looked at those showrooms burning and those cars — not one or two, like seven, eight, 10 burning, exploding all over the place.”
“These are terrorists. You didn’t have that on Jan. 6, I can tell you,” he added.
