If vandalism, arson, and domestic terrorism were your idea of a good laugh, then you would have got a kick out of The Daily Show. On his CNN show Smerconish Saturday morning, Michael Smerconish defied the media’s obsessive demonization of Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and called attention to how the anti-Musk fixation had, in some cases, turned outright criminal, and some of the media, far from condemning it, actually seemed to revel in it.
“Hey, have you heard?” Smerconish opened, “The Tesla car has a new option: flaming or non-flaming.” He explained:
Not to make light of a serious issue. It's just that an innocent electric car, once the symbol of proud progressives trying to save the planet, has become the focus of misplaced hate. The fight that they've got is with Tesla Motors owner Elon Musk…As one Instagram post has it, “let's send these technofascists, broligarchs and old fashioned Nazis a message loud and clear.” Harsh words, if only it remained just words. Unfortunately, some anti-Muskers believe actions speak louder, and so… people are attacking Teslas. They've defaced them, they've shot at them, they've even thrown Molotov cocktails at them, proving that gasoline and Teslas don't mix.
Smerconish acknowledged he sounded a bit flippant considering he was talking about serious criminal behavior, but went on, “[A]t least I'm laughing with Tesla, not the attackers. Contrast that with ‘The Daily Show’ audience.”
The screen then cut to Jordan Klepper of The Daily Show, who gleefully pronounced, “Some people are not content to just scream about Elon in a high school gym, they're taking to the streets or- the parking lots.”
He then showed actual footage of Tesla vehicles being vandalized and set ablaze, to which the audience hooted with merriment.
“Wow, you guys like petty acts of domestic terrorism, huh?” Klepper asked, to laughter and applause.
Smerconish pointed out that the crowd’s reaction was reminiscent of how many like them went to pieces over Luigi Mangione, the alleged assassin of the health insurance CEO Brian Thompson, who had become sort of a far-left folk hero when charged with the crime.
After playing a clip of Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota (D), joking about how Tesla stock had plummeted, Smerconish cited an FBI PSA showing that law enforcement took the emerging threat quite seriously, and mentioned the existence of a website devoted solely to doxxing Tesla owners and dealerships.
Smerconish expressed alarm at how many callers on his own show were “eager to rationalize all the violence,” and quoted a tweet by President Trump in which he said he “look[ed] forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20-year jail sentences for what they're doing to Elon Musk and Tesla.”
“Trump expresses himself in his usual unrestrained way,” Smerconish said, “but… there seems to be a point. These attacks don't just damage cars… they create an aura of fear … And that's how terror works, isolated examples of violence making millions feel unsafe.”
Smerconish had no hesitation about just coming out and saying that terrorism is not OK, but apparently for Jordan Klepper and The Daily Show, that would have been going out on too much of a limb.
To view the full transcript, click 'expand' to read
CNN’s Smerconish
03/24/2025
9:00 AM
MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, have you heard? The Tesla car has a new option: flaming or non-flaming. I'm Michael Smerconish in Philadelphia.
Not to make light of a serious issue. It's just that an innocent electric car, once the symbol of proud progressives trying to save the planet, has become the focus of misplaced hate. The fight that they've got is with Tesla Motors owner Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, which they claim is dismantling government. And that's a nice way of putting it, sometimes they call it a coup, and Musk a Nazi.
Next Saturday on March 29, protesters around the world will participate in a Tesla takedown with 500 demonstrations at Tesla showrooms. As one Instagram post has it, “let's send these technofascists, broligarchs and old fashioned Nazis a message loud and clear.”
Harsh words, if only it remained just words. Unfortunately, some anti-Muskers believe actions speak louder, and so, around the world, people are attacking Teslas. They've defaced them, they've shot at them, they've even thrown Molotov cocktails at them, proving that gasoline and Teslas don't mix.
And sorry if you thought that joke was in bad taste, but at least I'm laughing with Tesla, not the attackers. Contrast that with "The Daily Show" audience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JORDAN KLEPPER, "THE DAILY SHOW" CO-HOST: Some people are not content to just scream about Elon in a high school gym, they're taking to the streets or- the parking lots.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tonight, the FBI and ATF now investigating multiple cases of possible arson targeting Teslas and Cybertrucks.
This dramatic video shows multiple cars in flames. Police say the attacker used Molotov cocktails. It's the latest in more than a dozen instances of arson and vandalism targeting Tesla.
The same suspect shot more Teslas with a gun. Tesla Cybertrucks were set on fire in Kansas City. And earlier this month, shots fired at a Tesla dealership in Oregon. Cybertrucks on fire in Seattle.
AUDIENCE: [APPLAUSE]
KLEPPER: Wow, you guys like petty acts of domestic terrorism, huh?
AUDIENCE: [LAUGHTER]
SMERCONISH: The crowd's reaction reminds me of those who cheered for Luigi Mangione, after he was charged for the murder of a healthcare executive. Likely due, at least in part, to Musk's unpopularity, the value of Tesla Motors has plummeted, sales have slumped. Some are cheering the decline.
TIM WALZ: They've got that little stock app. I added Tesla to it to give me a little boost during the day. 2.25 and dropping.
SMERCONISH: Others are calling on Musk to step down as CEO.
This is a lot more than a business story. The question becomes, what do you do about the perpetrators? And discussing it on my Sirius XM radio program this week, I was surprised at the number of my callers eager to rationalize all the violence.
But the FBI certainly isn't doing that, they issued a PSA warning the public to be on the lookout for various indicators that could be precursors to planned attacks. The Trump administration is also taking it seriously. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the attacks “Nothing short of domestic terrorism.” She's already charged three individuals with Tesla-related violence.
According to the DOJ, one man, while armed with an AR15 rifle, threw approximately eight Molotov cocktails at a dealership in Salem, Oregon. A woman in Loveland, Colorado tried to light Teslas on fire with Molotov cocktails and was later found with materials that could produce more incendiary weapons. A man in Charleston, South Carolina wrote profane messages against President Trump at Tesla charging stations before lighting the stations on fire with Molotov cocktails.
In response, President Trump posted on Truth Social a message of his own, "I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20-year jail sentences for what they're doing to Elon Musk and Tesla. Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions."
Trump expresses himself in his usual unrestrained way, but behind the no-holds-barred response, there seems to be a point. These attacks don't just damage cars and car lots and charging stations, they create an aura of fear for all who own Teslas or might want to own one. And that's how terror works, isolated examples of violence making millions feel unsafe. No doubt that's why anti-Tesla militants have doxxed Tesla people.
One website called “Dogequest” put out an interactive map revealing the names, addresses and phone numbers of Tesla owners, as well as Tesla dealerships throughout the U.S. The map uses the image of a Molotov cocktail as a cursor. Those in charge of the site do promise, however, to remove people's information if they can prove they've sold their car.
Hey, here's a consistency test for you. Anyone who objected to the notorious 2010 Sarah Palin map, you remember? The one that listed representatives in close districts who voted for Obamacare and put crosshairs on their districts? Well, they ought to be offended by the map now being used to single out Tesla people.
