Trump escalates threats against those who destroy Tesla vehicles
President Donald Trump on Friday escalated his administration’s threats against those who destroy Tesla vehicles, pondering on social media whether he should send them to a prison in El Salvador where officials last week sent more than 200 Venezuelan migrants who they allege are members of a violent gang.
Trump also wrote that people who vandalize or destroy Tesla vehicles – made by the company owned by Trump ally Elon Musk – could get lengthy jail sentences.
“I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20 year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla,” Trump wrote on social media. “Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions!”
On Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said that at least three suspects who allegedly destroyed or attempted to destroy Tesla property in recent weeks with Molotov cocktails have been charged in federal court and could face up to 20 years in prison.
In recent months, Tesla’s stock value has plummeted and authorities have arrested people who have allegedly torched the electric vehicles in protests of Musk’s role in the Trump administration. Trump has stood by Musk, who is orchestrating the slashing of the federal government as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency Service, known as DOGE.
Trump held what amounted to a Tesla car show at the White House this month to try to boost the company’s flailing sales. Bondi has also deployed fiery rhetoric against potential Tesla vandals, calling the crimes domestic terrorism and promising “severe consequences” for those involved in the attacks.
The statements highlight the Trump administration’s steadfast support of Musk, a major political donor for Trump and other Republican candidates, as critics say the unelected official wields too much power and polling shows that almost half of Americans disapprove of Musk’s work within the federal government.
“The swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic terrorism,” Bondi wrote in a statement Tuesday. “We will continue investigations that impose severe consequences on those involved in these attacks, including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes.”
On Thursday, the attorney general issued a second statement, citing weeks-old charges in cases in Oregon, South Carolina and Colorado in which suspects allegedly damaged Tesla vehicles and charging stations.
One suspect in Colorado was arrested in February for allegedly spray painting “Nazi” on a Tesla sign, among other offenses.
The suspects were charged with arson or attempted arson of property involved in interstate commerce. Bondi said the crimes carry prison sentences of five to 20 years.
“The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended,” Bondi said in a statement. “Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars.”