Opponents of President Trump’s efforts to cut the size and scope of government have taken to demonstrating their opposition by committing acts of violence – indeed, domestic terrorism – against Elon Musk’s electric car company, Tesla. Trump said those who target Tesla dealerships for violent attacks and those who fund them should face up to 20 years in prison. Democrats’ response, highlighted in a FOX News survey of 13 Democrat members of Congress who previously sponsored legislation to combat domestic terrorism? Silence.
The left’s silence on this front is outrageous, even as it is predictable.
The leaders of the left, after all, declared during last fall’s presidential campaign in their most serious tones that it was Donald Trump who was the threat to democracy. Joe Biden called President Trump “the biggest threat to U.S. democracy.” Kamala Harris did the same. Chuck Schumer said, “our democracy is at risk because Donald Trump shows that he wishes to violate the laws in many, many different ways.” Nancy Pelosi said “Donald Trump is a great threat to our democracy.” Elizabeth Warren said of Trump, “he wants to destroy the democracy because he wants all the power for himself.”
Their fear-mongering didn’t work, and Trump won reelection over their strenuous objection. And now that he is once again in office, and implementing the agenda that the American people voted for – including following through on his promise to shrink government – some of their left-wing supporters have taken to domestic terrorism, putting lives and property at risk, to display the intensity of their opposition.
This is no surprise. This is how the left operates. They cannot win in the marketplace of ideas, so they terrorize people.
For a recent example of this modus operandi, see the Black Lives Matter riots, looting, and violence in the summer of 2020, which terrorized innocents all over the country, set fire to businesses in major and minor urban areas, and cost more than $2 billion in damage done to private property.
Even more recently, consider the anti-Israel demonstrations that arose on college campuses around the nation in the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack against Israel. After agitators at Columbia University in New York City launched their protests, demonstrators at more than three dozen private and public colleges and universities took action to build protest encampments, occupy administration buildings, and damage school property. Just one episode at City College in New York cost $3 million in damage and additional security costs.
This is standard operating procedure for the left.
According to the FBI, anti-Tesla incidents have been reported in at least nine states. Cybertrucks have been set ablaze and Tesla dealerships attacked – Molotov cocktails thrown, windows shot out, incendiary devices set, gunshots fired, charging stations burned, and “Nazi cars” spray-painted on one building, while “Resist” was painted on another.
On Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel said, “This is domestic terrorism. Those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice,” as he launched a new task force intended to “crack down on violent Tesla attacks” in the wake of this nationwide series of violent attacks against Elon Musk’s electric car company.
The anti-Trump campaign is being promoted by “Action Network,” which bills itself as “a progressive online organizing platform” that provides support to those who wish to organize their communities for political action. The platform boasts endorsements from the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the AFL-CIO, MoveOn, and Black Lives Matter, among others.
Action Network has declared March 29 as the day of the “Tesla Takedown,” a “GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION to stop Musk!” The very first words you see on their website are, “Elon Musk is destroying our democracy and he’s using the fortune he built at Tesla to do it. We are taking action at Tesla to stop Musk’s illegal coup. Sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines. We’re tanking Tesla’s stock price to stop Musk. Stopping Musk will help save lives and protect our democracy.”
The FBI is warning the public about the March 29 “Global Day of Action.” Last week it issued a statement saying, “The FBI urges the public to exercise vigilance and to look out for suspicious activity in areas occupied by Tesla dealerships or Tesla-related entities.”
Meanwhile, the left’s political leaders – the Democrats who warned that it was Trump who was the “threat to democracy” – remain silent, unwilling to call out those of their supporters who are terrorizing Tesla showrooms, shooting at Teslas, and setting fire to Tesla owners’ property, all as a means to terrorize Trump and his supporters.
Perhaps the next time a Democrat wants to warn about a “threat to democracy,” he or she should look in a mirror first.
Jenny Beth Martin is Honorary Chairman of Tea Party Patriots Action.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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