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By Theo Burman
Live News Reporter
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Elon Musk has said that he has been "shocked" by the rise in vandalism and destruction of Tesla vehicles, which has coincided with his increased political activity in the Trump administration.
The Tesla CEO said that he and his company had "never done anything harmful," and that people taking action against his vehicles were simply "bad people."
Newsweek contacted Tesla for more information via email.
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Why It Matters
Elon Musk's net worth is closely tied to Tesla's stock, but the company's value has declined for the last two weeks, as Musk ramps up his political activity in the Trump administration as chief of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The backlash to Tesla is both financial and cultural, with vandalism and protests against the car company becoming a symbol for protests against Musk and President Donald Trump.
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What To Know
Speaking on Fox News, Musk said that he had found the backlash against Tesla "shocking," and added: "I've never done anything harmful, I've only done productive things."
During an interview with Sean Hannity, Musk said: "It's really come as quite a shock to me, this violence from the left. I thought the Democrats were supposed to be the party of empathy, the party of caring, and yet they're burning down cars, and firing bullets into dealerships.
"Tesla is a peaceful company; we've never done anything harmful, I've never done anything harmful; I've always done productive things. So there's some kind of mental illness thing going on because this doesn't make any sense."
Musk suggested that the reason for the increase in violence against Tesla vehicles was due to anger over the DOGE's clampdown on fraud.
"It turns out when you take away the money people get fraudulently, they get very upset. They basically want to kill me because I'm stopping their fraud, and they want to hurt Tesla because we are stopping this terrible waste and corruption in the government. I guess they are bad people. Bad people do bad things."
There have been reports of vandalism to Tesla vehicles and dealerships in multiple states, with the FBI announcing on Tuesday that agents are investigating an incident in Kansas City in which multiple Cybertrucks were damaged at a Tesla dealership.
Furthermore, in January, a 40-year-old woman allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at a Cybertruck parked at a dealership in Colorado, according to NBC News. The woman allegedly returned to the dealership four more times and caused further damage before she was arrested.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, discussing his move to make violence against Tesla a terrorism charge, said: "I will do that. I'm going to stop them. Because they are harming a great American company. It's a great product, and we have to celebrate [Musk]."
What Happens Next
Musk continues in his role as head of the DOGE, while also being CEO of Tesla.
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