A spate of violent incidents targeting Tesla car owners, dealerships, charging stations and Republicans in general have been a common occurrence since President Donald Trump took office, compelling some GOP lawmakers to take certain safety measures.
The pattern of violent incidents comes after a new report from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), which found that increasingly violent rhetoric online is becoming more normalized than ever. NCRI’s findings showed that more than half of left-leaning respondents said killing Trump would be at least “somewhat justified.”
The increased normalization of violent rhetoric was exhibited in audio recordings of voice mails and handwritten letters sent to GOP North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis.
“Thom Tillis, afraid of death threats? Then get the f— out of office,” a caller said in a voicemail sent to the senator’s office. In an unsigned letter sent to Tillis, his staffers were referred to as “sacrificial lambs” who “signed up to be [Tillis’s] shield.”
Citing the uptick in “Democrat threats of violence,” GOP Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman moved all of her in-person town halls online. The move came after an incident in which an attendee of one of her town halls followed Hageman as she left and initiated a physical confrontation with her staff, eventually requiring police to intervene. Tillis has similarly taken certain steps to protect his staff, telling them to telework on days when there could be trouble.
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“What was formerly taboo culturally has become acceptable,” Joel Finkelstein, lead author of the NCRI report, told Fox News Digital. “We are seeing a clear shift – glorification, increased attempts and changing norms – all converging into what we define as ‘assassination culture.’”
These new rhetorical norms have translated into significant real-life violence, including just a few days ago at the New Mexico GOP’s headquarters in Albuquerque.
Suspects set the building on fire using incendiary devices, and they spray-painted the words “ICE = KKK” across the side of the building. An investigation into the incident, which did not result in any injuries, was initiated after the incident. So far, no arrests have been publicly reported.
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Meanwhile, Tesla owners, show rooms and charging stations have been targets of political violence as agitators find ways to challenge CEO Elon Musk and the Trump administration’s attempts to reform the government.
Outside Portland, Oregon, a man was arrested for setting a Tesla dealership on fire using Molotov cocktails and then returning the next day to fire more than a dozen bullets into the same showroom. The shooting was the second time in a week that someone opened fire on the Tesla dealership, damaging windows and vehicles but not hurting anyone.
In Boston, seven Tesla charging stations were engulfed in an intentionally set blaze, while in Las Vegas a fire caused numerous Teslas to explode. According to witness reports, the suspect in the Las Vegas arson also fired shots at the dealership and spray-painted the word “Resist” across the dealership’s front entrance.
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Meanwhile, in addition to attacks on Tesla businesses and charging stations, individuals who simply own a Tesla have also been victims of attacks spurred by anti-Musk and anti-Trump sentiment.
In New York City, vandals targeted multiple Tesla vehicles parked around the city, etching swastikas and the word “Nazi” on their passenger-side doors.
The attacks on Tesla vehicles haven’t only been when they are vacant either.
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Multiple videos of Tesla drivers getting forcibly stopped in the middle of the road and accosted have surfaced on social media. In Seattle, a woman driving a Tesla was cut off by a masked driver on her way to a doctor’s appointment before he got out of his car and accosted the woman for owning a Tesla. The driver indicated to local news that the incident made her scared to drive her Tesla.
NCRI’s survey found that in addition to a majority of left-leaning respondents justifying violent political attacks against Trump, about 40% also agreed it was justifiable to destroy Tesla dealerships.
“Property destruction wasn’t just an outlier opinion, it clustered tightly with support for political assassinations and other forms of violence,” Finkelstein said. “This points to a coherent belief system, not just isolated grievances.”
Last week, GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives that attempts to get every Democrat on the record over whether they condemn the violent acts or not.
While some Democrats have condemned acts of vandalism against Tesla, they have refrained from labeling it “domestic terrorism.” Additionally, a forceful condemnation from Democrat leadership has yet to surface.
“My House Resolution will make clear where all members of Congress stand,” Boebert said after she introduced the resolution. “Do they condemn domestic terrorism against Tesla or do they endorse it completely? The American people deserve to know where their representatives stand when it comes to condemning domestic terrorism.”
