Donald Trump comes to the aid of his first, and richest, supporter. The President of the United States spoke during a speech at the White House to express his support for Elon Musk and defend the Tesla brand, which has been plagued by a series of acts of vandalism, both against its premises and its vehicles.
During this speech in front of a Tesla Model S, and alongside Elon Musk, the American President first promised to buy a Tesla himself before responding to a question from a journalist about the acts of violence against Tesla dealerships in the United States.
The American president promised to arrest and punish the vandals who attacked this "great American company." Having made this promise, he also announced that he would now consider every act of vandalism against a vehicle of the Californian brand as an act of domestic terrorism.
Tesla Take Down is gaining momentum
This speech and this direct support for Elon Musk and Tesla are intervening as a large protest movement against the automaker and its CEO spreads across the United States and elsewhere in the world. The #TeslaTakedown movement cannot be reduced to acts of vandalism against the automaker's facilities and vehicles. Some of this opposition is peaceful and consists of a boycott of the brand's cars or the resale of a Tesla as a sign of disapproval of Elon Musk's recent stance.
However, while several instances of damage have been observed in France, on vehicles or on the walls of Tesla's French headquarters in In Saint-Ouen, on the other side of the Atlantic, tensions have risen to a whole new level. Acts of vandalism against Model 3s and Model Ys are on the rise, but Tesla dealers are also facing the wrath of protesters. On March 7, in Oregon, shots were even fired at a Tesla sales outlet.
Domestic terrorism?
What connection can there be between damaging a vehicle and an act of terrorism? Above all, is this threat from the American president truly credible from a legal point of view or is it simply unfounded?
While there is a fine line between vandalism and terrorism, it would nevertheless seem that the contours of the Patriot Act (Section 802) are broad enough to include attacks on Tesla. Indeed, in this paragraph dedicated to domestic terrorism, it is defined as anything that "includes unlawful activities dangerous to human life that are intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence government policy by intimidation or coercion, or affect the operation of a government entity by mass destruction." By defining Tesla as a symbol of America, Donald Trump may have opened a loophole allowing those responsible for attacks on electric cars to be charged with more serious offenses than they appear.
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