Tesla attacks spike in US as Musk’s White House role fuels backlash

Cybertrucks set ablaze. Bullets and Molotov cocktails aimed at Tesla showrooms.

Attacks on property carrying the logo of Elon Musk’s electric-car company have been cropping up across the US and overseas. While no injuries have been reported, Tesla showrooms, vehicle lots, charging stations and privately owned cars have been targeted.

There has been a clear uptick since US President Donald Trump took office and empowered Musk to oversee a new Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) that was slashing government spending. Experts on domestic extremism have said it was impossible to know yet if the spate of incidents would balloon into a long-term pattern.

In Trump’s first term, his properties in New York City, Washington and elsewhere became a natural place for protest. In the early days of his second term, Tesla was filling that role.

“Tesla is an easy target,” said Randy Blazak, a sociologist who studies political violence. “They’re rolling down our streets. They have dealerships in our neighbourhoods.”