“Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary sparred with left-wing podcast host Angela Rye Wednesday as she argued that Elon Musk’s leadership at Tesla makes it a “South Africa-first” company.
Anti-Musk demonstrators have attacked Tesla dealerships, charging stations and vehicles across the U.S. with swastika symbols and graffiti. Rye took a swipe at Musk’s immigration status, leading O’Leary to clap back and argue that every American is a descendent of immigrants.
“I don’t condone violence, but I wish people would take a look in the mirror and see what’s actually happening,” Rye said. “This is not an America First company, this is a South Africa-first company. That’s what Tesla is. But this is the same party who talks about America First and Make America Great Again, but they’re giving someone unfettered access who is an immigrant and if you leave it for this party, there’s no space for immigrants.”
“We’re all immigrants,” O’Leary said. “Some of us are lesser immigrants? Is that what you said? Elon Musk is a lesser immigrant? He’s tainted because he’s South African, he’s really brilliant? … Wow, the tainted immigrant. Wow. Where do I fit in? I’m Irish-Lebanese, am I like, second class or where am I?”
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CNN political commentator Michael Singleton, a Republican, defended Tesla, saying it is an American-based company that employs tens of thousands of Americans. Rye suggested the Republican Party intentionally supports white immigrants over immigrants of other races, claiming they allegedly give fairer treatment to “South African refugees.”
“Elon Musk’s company is an American company,” Singleton said. “Now, you don’t like his views, I respect that. You’re entitled to that. But it is an American company, Angela, that employs a lot of American people. Black, white, Latino, Republican [and] Democrat.”
“I think you’re misunderstanding my point,” Rye argued. “My point is the hypocrisy inside the GOP. I’m not rooting for the demise of the company. I’m asking for there to be fairness across the aisle about how we see immigration, that we don’t prefer South African refugees as they’re now being called when their land was stolen as some of your party is saying right now.”
Firefighters and police said they found seven Tesla superchargers on fire in Littleton, Massachusetts, at around 1:00 a.m. on Monday, which was determined to be intentional.
Police arrested a Justin Thomas Nelson, a trans-identifying man caught carrying explosives at a Tesla dealership in Loveland, Colorado on Monday, and a separate group of people in Maryland graffitied “No Musk” and an image of either a swastika or an X on the dealership in Owings Mills, according to CBS News. Like Nelson, most of the Tesla facility and charger vandals appear to identify as either transgender or nonbinary.
President Donald Trump told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham Tuesday that these actions are instances of “domestic political terrorism” from the political left.
Democrat Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz celebrated the declining Tesla stock, which dropped by 40% in 2025, at a Tuesday town hall because he “takes great pleasure” in seeing Musk’s life become “very, very difficult.”
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