In recent weeks, Tesla staff and owners have faced a wave of protests and attacks. Arson at Superchargers in Massachusetts and British Columbia, gunfire at a dealership in Oregon, and Molotov cocktails hurled at a Colorado showroom.
These incidents, which have been escalating since early in the year, appear linked to Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The White House has responded, with President Trump labeling the violence "domestic terrorism",and vowing harsh prosecution. Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed this stance on March 18, promising severe penalties as federal investigations intensify.
But do these attacks truly qualify as “domestic terrorism,” as President Trump asserts, or are they just vandalism fueled by frustration? To unpack this, let’s look at the definition of domestic terrorism, as posted on the FBI's website:
Domestic Terrorism Involves an act that is dangerous to human life, or potentially destructive of critical infrastructure or key resources, and, is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State or other subdivision of the United States, and appears to be intended:
- To intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
- To influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
- To affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.
Many recent incidents—arson, gunfire, Molotov cocktails—clearly fit the mold of violent, criminal acts posing a danger to human life. Attacks on occupied or moving vehicles might also meet this standard in some cases. Lesser acts, like keying or spray-painting strangers’ Teslas are intimidating, and often politically charged, but likely fall short of threatening lives or crippling critical infrastructure.
What about the protesters waving signs or staging civil disobedience at Tesla showrooms? If they’re not endangering the lives of customers or staff, they’re almost certainly not domestic terrorism. So far, Trump’s “terrorism” label has zeroed in on the violent acts at Tesla sites, not peaceful demonstrations. While some media outlets are drawing a line between the two, I am not.
Full disclosure: I’m no legal expert, so take my opinions with a hefty grain of salt. Several suspects have already been charged in these Tesla attacks, and as the legal process unfolds over the next couple of years, we’ll get answers. For now, I can only hope the simmering anger and violence give way to cooler heads.