Notable among the many differences between the current administration and its predecessor is what it considers domestic terrorism.
This week, the FBI created a task force to investigate a wave of violent attacks targeting Tesla, the Department of Government Efficiency’s chief Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company. This comes in response to at least 80 such cases reported in the United States and Canada in 2025, including torching and shooting Tesla vehicles, vandalism, and planting incendiary devices in Tesla dealerships. The attacks have increased in severity and frequency in recent weeks, which has prompted both Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to label them as acts of domestic terrorism.
“The FBI has been investigating the increase in violent activity toward Tesla,” wrote Patel on X, “and over the last few days, we have taken the additional steps to crack down and coordinate our response. This is domestic terrorism. Those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice,”
The multi-agency effort, which will involve the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives working with state and local law enforcement, is a welcome development. The copycat nature of the attacks — most often, they occur at night by lone attackers — in addition to the high-profile targets and politically charged environment, has raised fears of a deadly escalation. It is crucial that authorities be proactive to prevent such an incident and that examples are made of attackers to deter future copycats.
Monday’s revelation that “incendiary devices” had been found inside the showroom at a Tesla dealership in Austin, Texas, no doubt raised the stakes. Thankfully, they were removed by a bomb squad safely. But the incident underscored the crisis. The Tesla attacks cannot be brushed aside as petty acts of vandalism by young and overeager political activists. They are intended to inspire terror and effect political change. As such, they meet the textbook definition of domestic terrorism.
It is particularly important for Democratic Party politicians, allied organizations, and media figures to receive this message. In recent weeks, numerous high-profile anti-Musk figures have openly encouraged the continued attacks. For instance, last weekend, while speaking on a nationwide call organized by the Tesla Takedown movement, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), who vies to be the most irresponsible member of Congress, expressed her desire for Musk to be “taken down” as a personal birthday wish.
In response to the comment, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures on March 23 that Crockett should “tread very carefully,” adding that she “is an elected public official, so she needs to tread very carefully because nothing will happen to Elon Musk, and we’re going to fight to protect all the Tesla owners throughout this country.”
The Tesla Takedown movement, which staged rallies in March at Tesla dealerships across the nation, is the handiwork of the grassroots network Indivisible, which is run by Democratic Party insiders Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg and funded by radical liberal billionaires George Soros and Reid Hoffman. They are calling for protests this weekend at nearly 300 Tesla dealerships. While Bondi has referred to a “coordinated effort” behind some of the attacks, she has not mentioned the group by name. The creation of the FBI task force and the decision to investigate the Tesla attacks as domestic terrorism should give the group and other inciters pause. Reports indicate the task force will track future Tesla Takedown events, and rightfully so.
THE BONFIRE OF THE TESLAS: POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND THE LEFT
The FBI has also said it is investigating a website called Dogequest that doxxes Tesla owners, dealerships, and DOGE employees on an interactive map using a Molotov cocktail cursor.
It is remarkable to consider that only four years ago, the Biden administration under AG Merrick Garland saw fit to brand concerned parents as domestic terrorists over school board disputes. It is another reminder of how unserious those leaders were. Today, we face a far graver threat that demands law enforcement’s resolve and a unified rejection of violence as a political tool. We are fortunate to have leaders who appear to be rising to the moment.