Trump floats labeling Tesla dealership violence as domestic terrorism

• #TeslaTakedown protests at dealerships nationwide are among the grassroots backlash targeting Musk's flagship company.
• Tesla sales have slumped in the first quarter of 2025, with delivery projections down by more than 4%. The company's stock has also declined by 30%, erasing the bump it enjoyed immediately after Trump was re-elected.

Driving the news: "I will do that, I'll do it. I'm going to stop them," Trump told reporters when asked about the calls to label those who commit violence at Tesla dealerships as domestic terrorists.

• "They're harming a great American company," Trump said, adding that "those people" are the "same guys that screw around with our schools and universities, the same garbage, and we're going to catch them."
• Musk said, "It's really terrible that there's so much violence being created against people like Tesla, Tesla supporters, Tesla owners, Tesla stores. These are innocent people."
• "I just think that's very unfair," Trump said, adding that he's going to buy a Tesla vehicle for White House staff to use as the Secret Service won't allow him to drive.

Zoom out: Musk said at the White House his company will double its vehicle production output in the U.S. in the next two years.

• People "love the product," Trump said. "but because he's finding all sorts of terrible things that have taken place against our country, they want to penalize him in the economic sense."

Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.