The U.S. President said March 11 he would buy one of the carmaker’s new EVs as a gesture in support of CEO Elon Musk
- Trump says protesters who damage Tesla showrooms count as “domestic terrorists”
- U.S. President says he plans to buy Model S EV to make a “statement”
- The American automaker is facing growing resentment from the general public
U.S. President Donald Trump said March 11 that he would consider labelling people who enacted violence during protests at the showrooms of Texas-headquartered carmaker Tesla “domestic terrorists,” apparently at the suggestion of a news reporter during a bizarre press conference held in front of one of the (once-)popular EVs on the White House front lawn. He also falsely claimed that it was “illegal” to boycott buying the company’s products, in the wake of rapidly expanding distaste for the manufacturer among the public.
The anti-Tesla protests have been charged but mostly peaceful. However, more and more of them seem to be indirectly affiliated with acts of arson (involving burning Tesla vehicles); vandalism; and property damage, sometimes via firearms.
Trump explained the same rationale would apply to not just Tesla, but any American enterprise. A statement from the White House later characterized the protests as the work of “radical Leftist activists” trying to “intimidate or coerce our government or it’s people.”
The President’s remarks were made on the front lawn of the White House as he stood beside Musk and a Tesla car, apparently giving an unprecedented endorsement for the product that critics rushed to say was not befitting of the office; that didn’t stop Trump from declaring his intent to buy one of the EVs, a red Model S, expressly “to make a statement,” and because he felt Musk has been treated unfairly.
The past weekend witnessed a rash of protests at Tesla dealerships across the United States. One showroom in Manhattan collected more than 350 demonstrators, with five arrested for disorderly conduct. A protest in Boston of similar size saw no arrests. Chicago and California also hosted protests of slightly smaller groups, as did Portugal across the Atlantic.
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