Trump says those sabotaging Teslas will face up to 20 years in jail as anti-Musk protests rise
US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened those caught vandalizing Tesla vehicles, saying they may end up in jail for up to 20 years.
“People that get caught sabotaging Teslas will stand a very good chance of going to jail for up to twenty years, and that includes the funders. WE ARE LOOKING FOR YOU!!!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
This follows Trump’s earlier remarks that Tesla vandalism amounts to “domestic terror”, with the US President warning that those who target the company are “going to go through hell.”
The Trump administration has been cracking down on a string of attacks on Tesla cars across the US, amid protests against CEO Elon Musk and his all-powerful role in the government.
Last week, Trump purchased a Tesla car in a show of support for Elon Musk, his billionaire friend who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in his administration.
Trump briefly turned the White House driveway into a Tesla showroom as he took his pick from various models that were put on display.
Attacks on Tesla properties are on the rise both in the US and internationally (countries like Canada), with showrooms, vehicle lots, charging stations and private cars being targeted.
Musk critics have organized dozens of peaceful demonstrations at Tesla dealerships and factories across North America and Europe.
Some Tesla owners, including a US senator who feuded with Musk, have vowed to sell their vehicles.
Musk also spoke about the vandalism earlier this week when he appeared on Sen. Ted Cruz’s podcast, saying “at least some of it is organized and paid for” by “left-wing organizations in America, funded by left-wing billionaires, essentially.”
“This level of violence is insane and deeply wrong,” Musk wrote Tuesday on X, sharing a video of burning Teslas in Las Vegas. “Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks.”
Earlier, on Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi called acts of vandalism on Tesla vehicles as “nothing short of domestic terrorism”.
She warned the perpetrators of “severe consequences”, including those operating behind the scenes.
The Trump administration has also been openly endorsing Tesla after the EV manufacturer’s stock suffered a sharp slide since December.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urged the public to “buy Tesla” stock in an unusual promotion by a member of the Trump administration.