Trump warns of 20-year jail sentence for Tesla arsonists: We are looking for you

India Today

Donald Trump has issued a strong warning against those attacking Tesla vehicles, labelling such acts as terrorism. He stated that perpetrators, including funders and organisers, could face up to 20 years in prison.

Transcript

00:00In the past few days, there have been some bizarre developments and that has come in

00:05with regard to Tesla cars catching fire or being targeted, which the Trump administration

00:13has decided to call terrorism.

00:15Donald Trump has given out a big warning to people attacking Tesla, whose owner is Elon

00:20Musk, one of his closest aides right now.

00:23Trump has said, you attack Tesla, you will end up in jail.

00:28Donald Trump says, the US incumbent president, I quote it here, people that get caught sabotaging

00:33Teslas will stand a very good chance of going to jail for up to 20 years.

00:38And that includes the funders as well, those who are helping organise this.

00:43We are looking for you in Caps Lock, Donald Trump's big message.

00:47Remember that Donald Trump, as you see on your screens, also bought a Tesla recently

00:52after one of the first incidents emerged of Tesla cars suddenly catching fire or as the

00:58report suggested, that it was sabotaged, someone tried to, someone did light fire to

01:03these Tesla vehicles.

01:05And he said, this is terrorism, this is trying to attack Elon Musk's business initiative.

01:10And therefore, Trump bought one for himself, a red one that you see in the centre of your

01:15screen.

01:16Now he's gone further to say, if you recognise people who are indulging in lighting these

01:20fires, we'll have them in jail for 20 years, we are looking for you.

01:26It's not just about those who light the fire, those who are funding it, those who are encouraging

01:30it will also face the acts.

01:32Shashank Mattu joins me on this.

01:34Shashank, he's definitely standing by for the person who's his closest aide.

01:39First, here's what Trump has said, then I'll come to Shashank.

01:43They say they should be labelled domestic terrorists.

01:47I will do that.

01:48I'll do it.

01:49I'm going to stop them.

01:50We catch anybody doing it because they're harming a great American company.

01:54I've stuck up for the NFL, I've stuck up for a lot of American companies, and other companies,

02:00but American companies.

02:03Two from India Today Global joins me.

02:06Shashank, he's definitely taken a very strong view.

02:09What is your assessment?

02:10I'm curious, what is happening in the USA with the Tesla and why Donald Trump believes

02:16that he needs to go for the strictest punishment here?

02:20Absolutely.

02:21I think we have to start just a couple of weeks ago when you started seeing a large

02:26number of protests against Tesla because Elon Musk is heading the Department of Government

02:31Efficiency.

02:32It has made very, very deep cuts to the federal government bureaucracy, in many ways eliminating

02:37thousands of jobs across the United States government sectors.

02:41There are also speculations that he's also looking to target social security benefits

02:45and reduce the wage bill and the bill of the United States government.

02:48This is proven significantly unpopular and across the country you're seeing increasing

02:53unhappiness in some senses, especially from people who have lost their jobs.

02:58So Elon Musk and Doge are not exactly extremely popular at this point in time.

03:03Because of that, we have seen a blowback on Elon Musk's business interests.

03:06Some of these protests have been peaceful, people have come out and protested against

03:09him.

03:10They're saying that this is an unelected billionaire who is making deep cuts to social security

03:14benefits and things that matter to ordinary American people.

03:18But some of those protests have become violent.

03:19You have seen Molotov cocktails, vandalism, Tesla Cybertrucks being set on fire, showrooms

03:25being attacked.

03:26And it has escalated to a campaign of vandalism in some cases in various cities across the

03:31country, Seattle, Las Vegas, etc.

03:34After that, Donald Trump has come out in a very, very strong fashion to support Elon

03:38Musk and his company.

03:39You mentioned very rightly that he bought a Tesla on the gardens of the White House.

03:46His Attorney General, Pam Baldy, has said that this would be seen as an act of domestic

03:50terrorism by the United States government and they're going to start going after people

03:54who are funding these protests and these attacks, as well as the people themselves very, very

03:59harshly.

04:00So yes, you're right, Donald Trump absolutely sticking up for...

04:03This is absolutely bizarre.

04:05Americans are protesting like we've never seen.

04:08Shashank, keep tracking the latest on that.

04:10Are there people going to be pushed into jails now, in prisons, because of this vandalism?

04:15In the past few days, Tesla has been at the center of a political storm.

04:19There's arson, protest, vandalism across dealerships in the United States of America of Tesla.

04:24And it's primarily because of the political views of Elon Musk, especially as he's now

04:29a closest aide of Donald Trump, that his business initiatives are being targeted and how.

04:35Conservatives, though, are rallying behind him.

04:37But here's what it's looking like.

04:39Details in this report.

04:45Tesla has long been an industry disruptor in the field of electric vehicles, but now

04:58it's facing protests, vandalism and declining sales.

05:02The reason is CEO Elon Musk's growing ties to right-wing politics and to President Donald

05:08Trump.

05:09The backlash has been widespread.

05:11Across the United States and Europe, Tesla dealerships have been hit by protests, some

05:16peaceful and others destructive.

05:18In cities like Portland and Seattle, showrooms have been vandalized, windows smashed and

05:23vehicles defaced.

05:24In extreme cases, arsonists have set fire to Tesla vehicles and charging stations.

05:30Federal officials are investigating whether these acts are coordinated.

05:34Law enforcement has also been busy.

05:36A man in Oregon allegedly threw a bottle of cocktails at a Tesla store, later returning

05:41to shoot out its windows.

05:42In Seattle, four Cybertrucks were set on fire in a Tesla lot.

05:46And in Las Vegas, multiple Teslas were torched outside a service center, with Resist spray

05:52painted across the doors.

05:54Authorities believe some of these attacks may be politically motivated.

05:58Critics say that Musk's politics have changed Tesla's image.

06:02Many buyers once saw Tesla as an innovation-driven, eco-friendly brand.

06:06But after Musk bought Twitter, now X, and publicly backed Trump, some owners started

06:11selling their Teslas in protest.

06:13They say they no longer want to be associated with Musk's ideology.

06:17Tesla's controversial position has become deeply partisan.

06:21Among liberals, Tesla has gone from being an environmentalist's dream to a symbol of

06:26Musk's right-wing views.

06:28Progressive groups like Tesla Takedown are pushing for boycotts.

06:32Democratic politicians and activists are distancing themselves from Musk.

06:36Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona even sold his Tesla, saying he no longer wanted to support

06:41the company.

07:02It reminds me of just how much damage Elon Musk and Donald Trump is doing to our country.

07:08Talking about slashing Social Security, cutting health care benefits for poor people, for

07:15seniors.

07:16It's one bad thing after the next.

07:18He's firing veterans.

07:20I'm a veteran.

07:21So I have a really hard time driving around in this thing.

07:24So I think it's time for an upgrade today.

07:26So this is going to be my last, last trip in this car.

07:31There are some things I really liked about it.

07:33There are things I didn't like about it.

07:35But that doesn't matter.

07:36What matters is, you know, doing the right thing.

07:39I think it's time to get rid of it.

07:41You know, Elon Musk kind of turned out to be an asshole.

07:45And I don't want to be driving a car built and designed by an asshole.

07:51So looking forward to my new ride.

07:55Polling also shows a shift.

07:57Tesla's favorability among Democrats has plummeted.

08:00Many are switching to other brands.

08:02Conservatives, however, are rallying behind Musk.

08:05Donald Trump has defended Musk, calling him a patriot and labeling the Tesla attacks as

08:10domestic terrorism.

08:12Strategists for the Republican Party argue that Musk could even help make electric vehicles

08:16more acceptable to the right wing.

08:19Right-wing media figures have also praised Musk for fighting against woke culture.

08:24Yet Tesla is still struggling.

08:26Despite Musk's popularity, many Republicans remain skeptical of electric vehicles.

08:31Even though Republican interest in Tesla has risen, people still prefer other cars.

08:35Musk's political shift has also had real financial consequences.

08:39Tesla's stock has dropped 47% since Trump's second term began.

08:44Investors also worry that Musk is alienating Tesla's core customers.

08:48Meanwhile, US sales fell by 5.6% last year, the first annual decline in Tesla's history.

08:55Many investors are concerned that Musk is spending too much time on politics.

08:59His involvement in Washington and his push for deregulation have made him a favorite

09:02among conservatives.

09:04But some shareholders worry this could backfire, further distancing Tesla from the environmentally

09:08conscious buyers who helped build the brand.

09:11This also comes at a time when China's electric vehicles giant BYD has been dominating Tesla

09:16in a number of key global markets.

09:19Musk is still pushing forward with big plans, from self-driving technology to the Cybertruck.

09:24But his political stance has reshaped Tesla's image.

09:27The big question is this, can Tesla separate itself from Musk's controversies, or is it

09:32now permanently tied to political division?

09:35For now, the battle over Tesla continues.

09:37Protests show no sign of stopping, and politicians on both sides are weighing in.

09:42Tesla remains caught in the middle of one of the most heated political and cultural

09:46divides in modern business history.

09:48We are at a report, India Today, Global.

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