logo
I met the ‘domestic terrorists' targeting Tesla

I met the ‘domestic terrorists' targeting Tesla

Yahoo05-04-2025

On a balmy spring Saturday afternoon outside Tesla's Arlington, Virginia, showroom, a chorus of car horns and chanting filled the air.
A throng of around 250 people dressed in shorts and T-shirts lined the busy intersection waving hand-painted cardboard signs saying 'Muzzle musk, 'neuter Elon' and 'hands off our democracy'.
The mood was jubilant as the ageing crowd swayed back and forth to the tones of Stevie Wonder's Superstition blaring from a speaker.
One woman marched past with a makeshift plastic drum which she beat with a broken stick, shouting: 'We are not a bro-narchy, we are a democracy.'
It's a far cry from the scenes of destruction seen in Las Vegas, Nevada, last month, where a man reportedly hurled a molotov cocktail and opened fire at a fleet of Teslas that were left smouldering on the asphalt outside one of the company's service centres.
In Oregon, authorities say a man threw several explosives at a Tesla store in Salem before returning another day to shoot out the shop's windows. Meanwhile, a 70-year-old man from Idaho was arrested for allegedly driving his car into a Trump supporter outside one of the electric vehicle firm's dealerships.
The Trump administration has pledged to crack down on those targeting Tesla vehicles, with the president threatening to deport the 'domestic terrorists' causing mayhem.
Yet in the leafy, tree-lined neighbourhood of Glebe in Arlington, those on the front lines of the resistance against Elon Musk are mostly grey-haired pensioners wearing floppy sun hats to protect from the afternoon sun's rays.
'It's a false narrative,' said Lawrence MacDonald, 70, a coordinator for Third Act Virginia – an environmental group helping to organise the protests.
He claimed demonstrators were far from a professional outfit pushing a brand of aggressive domestic terrorism, and instead just ordinary folks.
'Every single one of these signs is handmade,' said the rugged, bearded climate activist, who has helped to arrange seven protests against the car company and Mr Musk.
'What we're seeing is masses of ordinary people who have not previously been political, turning out joyfully and peacefully to demand protection of American institutions.'
Protesters took to the street outside more than 200 Tesla sites across the US and Europe on March 29 as part of a 'global day of action'.
The day of action was an attempt to dent the fortune of the world's richest man.
Mr Musk's personal fortune has dropped by more than $100 billion as Tesla's stock has halved in value since December, amid a wave of protests and calls to boycott the electric vehicle company.
According to the group's website, the protests are designed to target Mr Musk for 'destroying our democracy' and orchestrating an 'illegal coup' in his mission to cut federal spending as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).
On what was dubbed by some as 'Tesla takedown day', another protest – this time outside of a Tesla showroom in Seattle – saw dozens of woolly hat-wearing women line-dancing to the Electric Slide (the lyrics had been tweaked 'unelected slide') while security guards monitored them from the building's roof.
Meanwhile, a 'Tesla takedown dance party' in the affluent neighbourhood of Georgetown in Washington DC drew a crowd of more than 100 people who grooved to Staying Alive by the Bee Gees, adorned in golden tinsel, sporting sailors' hats and wielding anti-Musk signs, many of which called the X owner a Nazi.
Despite the general mood of positivity, the demonstrators in Arlington were met with a mixed reception from passers by.
At one point, a fire engine drove by and flicked on its sirens in solidarity, prompting coos of approval from the amiable protesters. Shortly afterwards, a pick-up truck driver swore as he tore past, a red Maga flag streaming from his window.
Porter McGan, 64, a military veteran in a green high-vis vest, armed with a black loudspeaker which he used to marshal the crowds, said he was concerned about how the administration's testing of the US constitution would impact on the lives of his five children.
'I felt desperate to do something because I feel like their birthright has been robbed from them,' he said.
Asked why protesters were targeting Tesla rather than the administration itself, he said that 'if congress and the courts aren't able to hold [Mr Musk] accountable… trying to affect the reputation of his business is perfectly legitimate'.
The growing wave of protests has clearly got under the skin of Mr Musk, who sounded almost tearful when addressing the impact of his government work on his car company in a recent Fox interview.
Allison Porter, 65, and her husband, Michael Zucker, 66, said she decided to head down to the Arlington demonstration – her first anti-Tesla protest – after she saw the movement was cutting through.
'It made me think, we should get out here too,' she said with a grin on her face.
Asked if she condoned the acts of vandalism against the car company, she said it didn't apply to those attending that particular demonstration.
'You've got a bunch of grey-haired federal workers here,' she said, gesturing to her fellow protesters.
Despite the generally cordial atmosphere, the message of non-aggression was not heeded by all in attendance, with several liberal protesters mobbing a Trump-supporter in a Maga hat who launched a lone counter-protest in support of Mr Musk.
Debbie, 53, arrived carrying a 'we love Elon' sign and a box of doughnuts for Tesla staff, and said she had decided to protest because she was 'tired of the false narrative' being spread about the president and his adviser.
'I don't understand, it's a great American company and these people are trying to destroy it,' said the healthcare worker.
'People have been calling him a Nazi,' she added. 'The same rhetoric led to Trump's assassination attempt.'
Pointing out the irony of progressives targeting an electric vehicle company, she said: 'They're probably torching Democrats' cars.'
Thomas, 55, who arrived waving a Mexican flag in support of America's beleaguered southern neighbour, admitted he has shares in Tesla and is 'watching my 401(k) go down' as the protest movement gathers momentum.
'I'm taking the hit now, but what's more important?' he said.
Located a few miles from Washington DC, over a tenth of Arlington County's 234,000 residents are federal workers, with many affected by recent government job cuts.
Kathy Conrad, 66, a retired civil servant who was at her third anti-Tesla protest alongside her husband, said it was 'heartbreaking to see the way workers are being treated'.
Asked how she was pushing back, she said: 'Now, my hobby is fighting the Maga world.'
Ginge, 79, said she has been campaigning for civil liberties since the 1960s and now has 'nothing else to do but save democracy for my grandsons'.
For all her years of demonstrating, the retired defence contractor said she believes the US is currently facing the 'greatest danger I have ever seen'.
'I hated George Bush, but I'd love to have him back right now,' said her friend, Bob, a federal retiree and military veteran, who said he would be 'rolling in his grave' if he didn't do something to support the rights of his children.
Asked if she is wary of recrimination for taking part in protests against the current administration, Ginge said: 'I see these things happen, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stay home and watch television.'
As the anti-Tesla movement continues to gather momentum, the Trump administration has vowed to crackdown on violent demonstrators. But one group with plenty of time on their hands who they may have overlooked are disgruntled pensioners.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

George Floyd unrest informs Trump's response to Los Angeles protests
George Floyd unrest informs Trump's response to Los Angeles protests

Politico

time21 minutes ago

  • Politico

George Floyd unrest informs Trump's response to Los Angeles protests

President Donald Trump's response to the Los Angeles protests isn't just an opportunity to battle with a Democratic governor over his signature issue. The president sees it as a chance to redo his first-term response to a wave of civil unrest. As protests broke out after the killing of George Floyd in 2020, Trump's instincts were to deploy thousands of active-duty troops across U.S. cities. But some administration officials resisted the idea and reportedly urged the president against invoking the Insurrection Act to do so. Five years later, Trump sees something familiar as protests rage across Los Angeles in response to the administration's immigration raids. He moved quickly to deploy 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to support law enforcement, a decision he credited on Tuesday with preventing a 'great City' from 'burning to the ground.' And he repeatedly signaled his willingness to invoke the Insurrection Act if protests continue to escalate. There's a chief motivating factor driving Trump's aggressive response: The president is eager to avoid a repeat of the summer of protest that followed a Minneapolis police officer's killing of Floyd. The civil unrest added another layer to the turmoil facing Trump, as the country reeled from the Covid pandemic and voters prepared to return to the ballot box. And this time, he has stacked his Cabinet with loyalists and is less restrained by officials such as those in his first administration who feared deploying active-duty military troops would further inflame tensions and be viewed as a step toward martial law. 'The president is trusting his gut here,' said a person close to the White House, granted anonymity to discuss the president's response, reflecting back to former Chair of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley and former Defense Secretary Mark Esper breaking with Trump's desire to send troops. 'He thinks the Milleys and the Espers of the world, five years ago, they gave him bad advice on that stuff.' Administration officials and allies say the president's hardline approach also sends a warning to other city and state leaders as anti-ICE protests spread beyond Los Angeles. 'In 2020, I was a governor of a neighboring state to Tim Walz and watched him let his city burn,' Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in the Oval Office on Tuesday. 'The president and I have talked about this in the past: He was not going to let that happen to another city and to another community, where a bad governor made a bad decision.' It's yet another example of the president acting on his belief that he has a governing mandate from his 2024 comeback, which aides and allies attribute in large part to immigration and, specifically, the president's vow to deport undocumented immigrants. 'Is the left going to be able to take this over and turn rules-based immigration into yet another fight about how America is racist?' said Matt Schlapp, a Trump confidant and chair of the American Conservative Union. 'The No. 1 reason Donald Trump got reelected was the border. He's implementing exactly what he said he would do, and out of nowhere, there's violence in the streets, there's fire bombs, there's attacks on cops.' A White House official, granted anonymity to discuss the administration's thinking, said immigration enforcement has continued across the country despite the protests: 'Individuals in other cities should realize that rioting will not prevent immigration enforcement operations in their cities as well.' Trump has repeatedly referred to the protesters as 'insurrectionists' and 'violent insurrectionist mobs,' and his rhetoric intensified on Tuesday as he said the protests amount to an 'invasion' that threatens U.S. 'sovereignty' and that he will now allow 'an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy.' He condemned what he called 'lawlessness' and the burning of the American flag, suggesting it should be punished with a year in prison — echoing his rhetoric from June 2020. But he also said the Los Angeles protests are not yet an insurrection — and that he will only invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow troops to directly participate in civilian law enforcement, if it escalates to that point. The president on Sunday directed Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi to take 'all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles' and 'put an end to these Migrant riots.' 'Mark Esper fought like the dickens to avoid the Insurrection Act. He wasn't the only one. So did Attorney General [Bill] Barr, and so forth,' said Ken Cuccinelli, who served as Trump's deputy of Homeland Security during the first term. 'Whereas, Pam Bondi and Pete Hegseth are more along the lines of just giving advice, and 'if it's the route you want to go, Mr. President, we'll salute and we'll move right down that path.' And that speaks to a unity in government that didn't exist in the first term.' The Trump administration's response has alarmed California Democrats, who warn that what's happening in their state paves the way for the president to deploy the military nationwide to enact his immigration agenda. The president has already militarized the border to an unprecedented degree, with military, immigration and legal experts questioning the legality of the approach and warning of potential violations to the Posse Comitatus Act, a federal law that generally prohibits active-duty troops from being used in domestic law enforcement. Trump's decision to deploy troops has also set off a legal firestorm: California sued the administration for deploying the National Guard without consultation, arguing that using the military to quell the immigration protests is illegal and unconstitutional. Gov. Gavin Newsom filed another suit on Tuesday, asking a federal judge for a restraining order to block Hegseth from ordering troops to support immigration raids in the city 'immediately.' 'There is no invasion or rebellion in Los Angeles; there is civil unrest that is no different from episodes that regularly occur in communities throughout the country, and that is capable of being contained by state and local authorities working together,' California Attorney General Rob Bonta and other lawyers wrote in the new motion. Rallies protesting the administration's ICE raids and immigration agenda spread across U.S. cities this week. And so-called 'No Kings' rallies, coinciding with the president's military parade in Washington on Saturday, are planned in more than 1,800 cities across the country, including the nation's capital. Trump warned on Tuesday that any protests during this weekend's parade will be met with 'very heavy force.' 'If there's any protester who wants to come out, they will be met with very big force,' the president said in the Oval Office. 'I haven't even heard about a protest, but [there are] people that hate our country.' Dasha Burns contributed to this report.

ABC News cuts ties with Terry Moran after Trump ‘hater' post
ABC News cuts ties with Terry Moran after Trump ‘hater' post

The Hill

time25 minutes ago

  • The Hill

ABC News cuts ties with Terry Moran after Trump ‘hater' post

ABC News says it will not renew the contract of veteran journalist Terry Moran after he authored a social media post sharply criticizing President Trump and top White House aide Stephen Miller. 'We are at the end of our agreement with Terry Moran and based on his recent post – which was a clear violation of ABC News policies – we have made the decision to not renew,' a spokesperson for the network told The Hill on Tuesday. 'At ABC News, we hold all of our reporters to the highest standards of objectivity, fairness and professionalism, and we remain committed to delivering straightforward, trusted journalism,' the spokesperson added. Moran was suspended by the network over the weekend for his post on the social platform X in which he called Miller a 'world-class hater' and said 'you can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.' In the since-deleted post, Moran also criticized the president, saying he too is 'a world-class hater' and adding that 'his hatred only a means to an end, and that end [is] his own glorification. That's his spiritual nourishment.' Moran's post enraged the West Wing, which called on the Disney-owned network to punish the journalist. Almost immediately once Moran's ouster was made public, White House director of communications Steven Cheung celebrated the news, writing in an X post: 'Talk s—. Get hit.' Moran's ouster comes as Trump and his allies in government are ratcheting up pressure on broadcast news networks over their coverage of him and threatening to use executive power to crack down on coverage they say is unfair to his administration. Trump has called out ABC News specifically several times in recent weeks, suggesting the Federal Communications Commission scrutinize its broadcast license. The network late last year agreed to pay Trump $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit out of court stemming from an incorrect statement made by anchor George Stephanopoulos during a broadcast claiming Trump had been convicted of sexual assault. Moran has worked for ABC News for more than two decades and is based in Washington, D.C., having served in a variety of roles for the network.

More Than 1,500 ‘No Kings' Protests Planned Amid Trump Crackdown on L.A. Demonstrations
More Than 1,500 ‘No Kings' Protests Planned Amid Trump Crackdown on L.A. Demonstrations

Time​ Magazine

time26 minutes ago

  • Time​ Magazine

More Than 1,500 ‘No Kings' Protests Planned Amid Trump Crackdown on L.A. Demonstrations

More than 1,500 ' No Kings Day ' demonstrations are set to take place across the U.S. this weekend to protest the Trump Administration as President Donald Trump holds a military parade in Washington, D.C. The demonstrations will take place all over the country on Saturday, coinciding with the parade Trump has planned to mark the U.S. Army's 250th birthday. Ezra Levin, the co-founder and co-executive director of the progressive organization Indivisible that's behind 'No Kings Day,' told MSNBC on Monday that the protests—originally announced last month—have generated 'overwhelming interest' in the aftermath of the Administration's response to the immigration-related protests in Los Angeles. 'In America, we don't do kings,' reads a website for the events. 'They've defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too. Far.' The protests will follow days of demonstrations in L.A. over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting undocumented immigrants. In a rare and controversial exercise of presidential power, Trump over the weekend mobilized the National Guard—against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom—to quell the protests in the L.A. area, which had been largely peaceful. The move sparked immediate outcry from Democratic politicians, advocacy organizations, and legal experts. Trump has since escalated federal involvement by deploying hundreds of Marines and thousands of additional National Guard troops to the city. 'No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance. From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we're taking action to reject authoritarianism—and show the world what democracy really looks like,' the 'No Kings Day' description said. 'On June 14th, we're showing up everywhere [Trump] isn't—to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings.' The event's organizers aren't holding a protest in D.C. itself, saying they want to make the demonstrations elsewhere the story of the day rather than allowing Saturday's military parade to be 'the center of gravity.' On Tuesday, Trump warned people planning to protest at the parade that they would face 'very big force.' 'For those people that want to protest, they're going to be met with very big force,' Trump said. 'And I haven't even heard about a protest, but you know, this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store