Will federal law enforcement treat Tesla attacks as terrorism?

Several Tesla vehicles caught fire early Tuesday morning at a service center in Las Vegas. Investigators believe the fire was intentional, and local law enforcement suspects an individual deliberately targeted the vehicles.

Authorities have not yet identified a motive, but the incident follows a pattern of vandalism against Tesla vehicles and dealerships nationwide. Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s close ties to President Donald Trump have made the company a proxy target for those expressing opposition to the administration.

The Trump administration must not dismiss the attacks on Tesla as petty acts of vandalism. These are warning signs of more serious domestic terrorism to come.

Dismissing these attacks as petty acts of vandalism would be a mistake. These are acts of political terrorism. If they go unpunished, progressive activists will only escalate their tactics.

For many, the Black Lives Matter and Antifa riots served as a wake-up call, exposing a breakdown in law and order. The destruction of property and attacks on individuals made it clear that violence had become an accepted political tool. The shock came not just from the riots themselves but from the support they received from elected officials and law enforcement.

Political terrorism has long been a tactic of the left, emerging at key moments to push its agenda forward. A near-monopoly on media and education has allowed progressives to rewrite history, erasing their movement’s violent past. But this is nothing new, and if serious action is not taken, more terrorism will follow.

The Civil Rights Movement is often remembered as a series of peaceful protests that led to major social change. While many activists did engage in nonviolent demonstrations that won public sympathy, violence was also a significant feature of the era. The Harlem riots of 1964, the Los Angeles riots of 1965, and the Detroit and Newark riots of 1967 illustrate this reality. Following Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, riots erupted in more than 100 American cities between 1968 and 1969. Because the movement is judged favorably, these acts of political violence are rarely discussed. Yet, they played a crucial role in shaping the period — including contributing to the election of Richard Nixon.

In 1969, future Barack Obama mentor Bill Ayers co-founded the Weather Underground, a leftist terrorist group. This revolutionary Marxist organization helped instigate the “Days of Rage” riots in Chicago and carried out bombings at the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, the California attorney general’s office, and a New York police station. Despite their violent history, several members of the group later secured prestigious academic positions.

Leftist political violence did not end in the 1960s. The Miami riots of 1980, the Los Angeles riots of 1992, the Cincinnati riots of 2001, and the Ferguson riots of 2014 show that it remains a recurring feature of American politics. The pattern is predictable: The media frames a justifying narrative, progressive activists coordinate the unrest, and political pressure ensures few, if any, perpetrators face consequences. The American left has long treated violence as a legitimate tool of persuasion — and expects to use it without accountability.

After the mob violence of 2020, victorious Democrats shifted from their usual blend of soft power and plausible deniability to overt authoritarian tactics. The Biden administration directed the FBI to investigate parents protesting at school board meetings and Catholics attending Latin Mass. The Justice Department pushed for excessive sentences against January 6 protesters and even prosecuted a man for posting memes mocking Hillary Clinton.

Democrats also attempted to bankrupt Donald Trump, remove him from the ballot, and ultimately imprison him. When these efforts failed, they escalated their tactics, leading to multiple assassination attempts. Their political violence culminated in the injury of the soon-to-be president and the tragic death of firefighter Corey Comperatore, who died protecting others.

Democrats have suffered defeat on every level. Their party’s approval ratings continue to decline, their policies repel voters, and they lost both the Electoral College and the popular vote in the last election. Frustrated and desperate, progressives have returned to their most reliable strategy: political violence.

Some conservatives dismiss the recent vandalism and destruction targeting Tesla as minor property crimes, but these incidents do not exist in a vacuum. They are part of a broader pattern of escalating violence from a movement that refuses to accept political losses.

The left has already embraced and celebrated political assassination over the past year. Many celebrities and political commentators openly voiced frustration that an assassin’s bullet narrowly missed killing Donald Trump on live television. Meanwhile, an entire subculture of admirers has formed around Luigi Mangione, who allegedly assassinated the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Progressives, consumed by desperation and rage, are lashing out at anyone and anything they perceive as political opposition.

Political violence in the United States must be met with zero tolerance. For too long, the left has enjoyed the ability to use violence as a political tool, relying on its media monopoly to shield perpetrators from legal and political consequences. Progressives have already escalated their tactics to assassination, successfully killing multiple victims.

The Trump administration must not dismiss the attacks on Tesla as petty acts of vandalism. These are warning signs of more serious domestic terrorism to come. Federal law enforcement must act swiftly. If any leftist organization played a role in planning or facilitating these attacks, it should be treated as a domestic terror threat. Authorities must act decisively against violent extremists now — or risk emboldening them to commit even worse crimes in the future.