Tesla Under Siege: When Leftist Protests Turn Criminal

By Dara Jerde

Across the United States, Tesla vehicles and dealerships have become the latest targets of a wave of vandalism that has escalated far beyond peaceful dissent. Since Elon Musk’s prominent role in the Trump administration began in January 2025, reports have flooded in of Molotov cocktails hurled at showrooms, swastikas spray-painted on Cybertrucks, and charging stations set ablaze. From Colorado to Massachusetts, Oregon to New York, the damage is mounting—both to property and to the credibility of the protesters’ cause. This isn’t a new story. Whenever the political left rallies against a perceived enemy, what starts as a protest inevitably morphs into criminal chaos, leaving behind a trail of destruction and a message drowned in hypocrisy.

The pattern is as predictable as it is disheartening. Take the 1992 Los Angeles riots, sparked by the acquittal of officers in the Rodney King beating. What began as outrage over injustice devolved into six days of looting, arson, and violence, with over $1 billion in damages and 63 lives lost. Fast forward to 2020, when the death of George Floyd ignited nationwide demonstrations. While many marched peacefully, others torched businesses, smashed windows, and clashed with police, racking up an estimated $1-2 billion in damages—the costliest civil unrest in U.S. history. Now, Tesla is the target, with dealerships reporting gunfire, arson, and graffiti like “No Musk” alongside swastika-like symbols. The left’s playbook is clear: start with a megaphone, end with a matchstick.

This isn’t bravery—it’s a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. Picture a child, frustrated and unable to articulate their grievance, flailing about, knocking over toys, and screaming until the room is a mess. That’s the scene unfolding at Tesla sites. Protesters, ostensibly upset over Musk’s influence via the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), could have made their case with words, rallies, or boycotts. Instead, they’ve opted for Molotov cocktails and spray cans, smashing windows and burning cars in a petulant outburst that lacks both courage and integrity. It’s the easy way out—violence instead of dialogue, destruction instead of debate.

The irony is thick. These acts don’t amplify the message; they bury it. When you set fire to a Tesla showroom in Loveland, Colorado, or shoot up a dealership in Portland, Oregon, the conversation shifts from Musk’s policies to the vandals’ cowardice. The point—whatever it was—gets lost in the smoke. During the George Floyd protests, the focus often veered from police reform to the charred remains of small businesses. In LA, the King verdict faded behind images of burning storefronts. Now, Musk’s critics could have dented Tesla’s bottom line with a disciplined boycott. Instead, they’ve handed him a PR win, casting him as a victim of “radical left lunatics,” as Trump put it, while alienating the very public they claim to represent.

This is despicable—not just for the financial toll (Tesla’s facing declining sales already) but for the moral bankruptcy it reveals. Vandalizing a Cybertruck doesn’t challenge Musk’s power; it terrorizes owners like Adam Choi in Brookline, Massachusetts, who found a Musk sticker slapped on his car, or the Jewish, gay Tesla enthusiast in Lynnwood, Washington, whose vehicle was defaced with swastikas. These aren’t acts of resistance; they’re petty, spiteful tantrums that punish the innocent and dodge the hard work of real change. The left claims to stand for justice, yet time and again, their protests devolve into the very chaos they decry in others.

History shows this spiral is almost inevitable. The 2016 anti-Trump rallies saw cars torched and windows smashed. The Dakota Access Pipeline protests left behind burned equipment and littered camps. Now, Tesla’s plight—arson in Littleton, Massachusetts, tire thefts in New York—fits the mold. It’s not about ideology anymore; it’s about impulse, a tantrum unleashed when the left feels cornered. But here’s the rub: tantrums don’t win arguments. They don’t sway hearts or topple tycoons. They just leave a mess for someone else to clean up, while the toddler stomps off, point unmade, dignity in tatters. If Musk’s foes want to be heard, they’d do well to ditch the spray paint and grow up.

Dara Jerde is a a freelance writer for Veritas Expositae

You can reach her at dara.jerde@veritasexpositae.com