Donald Trump Issues Jail Warning to Tesla Vandals

News Reporter

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President Donald Trump has warned that anyone found vandalizing Tesla vehicles could face lengthy prison sentences.

"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," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday night.

He added: "WE ARE LOOKING FOR YOU!!!"

President Donald Trump speaking in the White House in Washington D.C. on Thursday. Trump has warned that anyone found vandalizing Tesla vehicles could face lengthy prison sentences. Ben Curtis/AP

Why It Matters

Tesla dealerships and vehicles have been targeted in protests across the country in recent weeks in response to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Musk is in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and has faced fierce backlash amid cuts to the federal budget, including thousands of federal jobs.

Attorney General Pam Bondi recently said attacks on Tesla property are "nothing short of domestic terrorism."

What To Know

Trump's warning on Thursday came hours after Bondi said that three suspects accused of using Molotov cocktails to set fire to Tesla cars and charging stations could face between five and 20 years in prison.

She added that anyone who joins "this wave of domestic terrorism" against Tesla properties would be prosecuted.

None of the defendants have been charged with "domestic terrorism," which is not a standalone federal offense.

In a separate incident, Adam Lansky, 41, is accused of throwing eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership in Salem, Oregon, on January 20 — the day of Trump's inauguration. He is also alleged to have fired bullets at a Tesla vehicle at the same dealership the following month.

Lansky was arrested March 5 on suspicion of illegally possessing an unregistered destructive device.

Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, is accused of targeting a Tesla dealership in North Charleston. Witnesses reported seeing a man on March 7 spray-painting the words "F*** Trump" and "Long Live Ukraine" in a Tesla charging station parking spot, as well as throwing five Molotov cocktails at the chargers, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

Clarke-Pounder is charged with arson of property in interstate commerce. He was granted a $10,000 bond during a court hearing on March 17, WCIV reported.

Meanwhile, Lucy Grace Nelson, 42, is also accused of repeatedly targeting a Tesla dealership in Loveland, Colorado, in January and February.

Loveland police received a call on January 29 reporting a fire near a Cybertruck at the Tesla dealership, and found a Molotov cocktail next to the vehicle. On February 2, a Tesla dealership sign was vandalized in black spray paint.

Nelson pleaded not guilty to two counts of possession of an unregistered firearm as a destructive device and attempted malicious destruction of property at a March 11 court appearance, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald.

What People Are Saying

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement on Thursday: "The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended. 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 also said earlier this week: "The swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic terrorism. The Department of Justice has already charged several perpetrators with that in mind, including in cases that involve charges with five-year mandatory minimum sentences. We will continue investigations that impose severe consequences on those involved in these attacks, including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes."

Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews, District of South Carolina, said on March 14: "While we will defend the public's right to peaceful protest, we will not hesitate to act when protest crosses the line into violence and mayhem. These kinds of attacks have no place in our community."