Washington (AFP) – President Donald Trump suggested Friday that people who vandalize Tesla property — the car brand owned by his billionaire ally Elon Musk — could be deported to prisons in El Salvador. “I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20 year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions!” he added, referencing the Central American nation known for its harsh treatment of criminals.
Trump’s remarks mark a further consolidation of his administration’s support for key advisor Musk, who has divided Americans as an unelected tycoon who has led a ruthless cost-cutting drive at the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Several Tesla dealerships around the country have been vandalized in recent weeks and the company’s stock price has plummeted over the past month.
Attorney General Pam Bondi this week branded vandalism against property owned by Tesla as “domestic terrorism” in a public show of support for Musk. On Thursday, she announced that unspecified charges were being brought against three people accused of targeting Tesla cars, carrying between five and 20 years in prison. The three defendants, who were not identified, “will face the full force of the law” for using Molotov cocktails to set fire to Tesla vehicles and charging stations in Oregon, Colorado and South Carolina, the Justice Department said.
Trump, in an unprecedented product endorsement by a sitting president, sought to boost Tesla sales earlier this month, briefly turning the White House into a showroom and announcing he was buying one of the electric cars. His suggestion of jailing Tesla vandals in El Salvador is particularly pointed after US officials last weekend flew more than 200 alleged gang members to be jailed in the country. The move caused uproar as it apparently defied a US court order halting the flights — though the Trump administration insists it was legal.
© 2024 AFP
