Karoline Leavitt has revealed the irony lost on vandals who are defacing Tesla vehicles in protest of Elon Musk.
There have been more than a dozen acts of vandalism against Tesla vehicles, dealerships and charging stations since Musk was introduced to be play a key role in Donald Trump’s administration.
The White House Press Secretary appeared on Fox News’ The Faulkner Focus on Thursday when she pointed out the harsh reality leftists are facing amid the frenzy of attacks on electric vehicles.
‘Tesla dealerships, Tesla employees and also innocent Americans who have chosen to drive these vehicles, many of them, ironically, are likely Democrats,’ she said of those who are being targeted.
‘There is a major double standard here,’ she told host Harris Faulkner. ‘The Democrats used to be the greatest cheerleaders for electric vehicles and for Tesla, the company, until Elon Musk decided to support and vote for Donald Trump.
‘So the Trump derangement syndrome from the leftists is on true display with these attacks.’
Her comments came as Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that three people have been charged in attacks at Tesla showrooms after Donald Trump declared that they would be considered domestic terrorists.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pointed out the irony of the leftists who have taken their outrage over the Department of Government Efficiency’s actions on the electric vehicles in an interview with Fox News on Thursday
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social Thursday night that those who are caught vandalizing Teslas ‘stand a very good chance of going to jail for up to twenty years’
‘People that get caught sabotaging Teslas will stand a very good chance of going to jail for up to twenty years, and that includes the funders,’ the president posted on his Truth Social Thursday night.
‘WE ARE LOOKING FOR YOU!!!’
In the interview on Thursday, Faulkner asked whether criminals who attack Teslas could even face the death penalty.
‘What happens if there’s someone in one of these cars they blow up? That can happen! That becomes murder! Or worse! Terrorism plus,’ the Fox News hostess asked Leavitt.
‘And I know that on January 20th, the president signed into law… through an executive order, restoring the death penalty. Do you think this sort of thing… And I hate it! People leave their children and pets in cars. I mean you don’t know!! This is deadly dangerous stuff these liberal protestors are playing with.
‘Yes it is Harris,’ Levitt replied.
‘And what I can tell you is that President Trump condemns this violence and he is determined to restore law and order in our country and he will ensure that the harshest penalties are pursued for those who are engaging in this vicious violence that we have seen targeted at this American company.’
This week, a dealership in Las Vegas was targeted by an apparent firebombing as a row of Tesla vehicles were set ablaze.
Hackers have even doxxed Tesla owners in the United States, releasing an interactive map showing their names, addresses, phone numbers and emails on a website that uses a Molotov cocktail as a cursor.
Since Trump’s inauguration, there have been more than a dozen acts of vandalism against Tesla vehicles, dealerships and charging stations, according to police and local reports
A member of the Seattle Fire Department is pictured inspecting a burned-out Tesla Cybertruck
Some have even fired Molotov cocktails into Tesla showrooms, like the one pictured here
On Thursday, Attorney General Bondi announced that three people have now been charged in these attacks – declaring that ‘the days of committing crimes without consequence have ended.’
The first of the alleged attackers to face charges is Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, who is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership in Salem, Oregon on January 20.
He allegedly threw a ‘large heavy object through the dealership window’, and was armed with a suppressed AR-15 at the time, reports Fox News.
Just one week after the firebombing, Lucy Grace Nelson, also known as Justin Thomas Nelson, 42, was taken into custody in Loveland, Colorado on January 29 after allegedly being caught attempting to light Molotov cocktails near a dealership.
Prosecutors said Nelson was found to have been in possession of a container of gasoline, bottles and wicks, which were allegedly intended to be used to create incendiary weapons.
Then on March 7, Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, allegedly vandalized a dealership in Charleston, South Carolina, by spray-painting messages reading ‘f*** Trump’ and ‘Long Live Ukraine’ before lighting three charging stations on fire.
Lanksy and Nelson are charged with arson of property in interstate commerce and possession of unregistered destructive device, while Clarke-Pounder was charged with arson of property in interstate commerce.
All three suspects face up to 20 years in prison if convicted, the DOJ said.
‘Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars,’ Bondi said.
Prosecutors alleged the person seen in this CCTV footage was Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, who is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership in Salem, Oregon on January 20
Lucy Grace Nelson, also known as Justin Thomas Nelson, 42, was taken into custody in Loveland, Colorado on January 29 after allegedly being caught attempting to light Molotov cocktails near a Tesla dealership
Despite the criminal charges, former FBI special agent Michael Tabman said he expects political violence to escalate as Trump continues rapidly reshaping the federal government.
‘I do fear that more violence is on its way,’ Tabman said on Fox News.
‘Maybe not directly Teslas or DOGE, but just general political violence. I think it’s already here. But I think there’s more around the corner.’
He added that he doesn’t see a quick resolution to the attacks as ‘realistic’, and said he expects individuals to continue targeting Musk so long as he teams up with Trump.