Trump Says Jan. 6 Rioters Were Nothing Like Those ‘Terrorist’ Tesla Vandals

Speaking Friday from the Oval Office, President Donald Trump suggested the Capitol rioters were tame compared with the people responsible for setting Tesla vehicles ablaze in protest of billionaire Elon Musk’s meddling in the federal government.

“I view these people as terrorists just like others,” Trump said of the Tesla vandals.

“When I looked at those showrooms burning, and those cars — not one or two, like seven, eight, 10 burning, exploding all over the place — these are terrorists,” he said.

“You didn’t have that on Jan. 6, I can tell you. You didn’t have anything like that Jan. 6,” Trump went on, referring to the 2021 riot that left several people dead.

Attacks on Teslas ramped up across the nation and around the world when Musk made an arm gesture at Trump’s inauguration rally that resembled a Nazi-era “Sieg heil” salute. (Musk denies the comparison.) The world’s richest man has taken on a prominent White House role leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which has pressured agency leads into making sweeping cuts to the federal workforce.

Trump and his administration officials have been heaping praise on Musk in response to the backlash, with Trump even briefly transforming the driveway of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue into a Tesla showroom last week. In a made-for-TV moment, the president said he was purchasing one of Musk’s vehicles.

This week, Attorney General Pam Bondi promised “serious charges” and harsh punishments for the individuals behind a recent high-profile string of arson attacks on Tesla dealerships.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.