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A rumor that Elon Musk allegedly disguised an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building as a Tesla dealership so people could vandalize it recently went viral on X. For context, Tesla dealerships across the US have become the sites of attacks and vandalism in response to Musk's recent government work after he was appointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to help curb spending on a federal level.
On March 24, 2024, the X account @TheBabylonBee originated the rumor about Elon Musk masking an IRS building as a Tesla showroom, which garnered 48.5 million views at the time of this article.
However, the rumor was debunked, as the X account is known for posting fake news, as stated in its bio, "Fake news you can trust."
No major publication or media outlet has reported on this, lending more credence to the fact that it was a parody post. Furthermore, Elon Musk also reacted to the rumor, retweeting the post with a laughing emoji.
"Tesla is a peaceful company" — Elon Musk condemned anti-Tesla vandalism in a recent interview
Elon Musk's electric vehicle company endured several hardships in recent times, from drastic stock price drops to constant vandalism of showrooms and vehicles around the US.
The tech billionaire addressed the recent uptick of vandalism against Tesla showrooms and products in a March 18 interview on the Fox News show, Hannity, saying it was quite "a shock" for him to experience this level of "hatred and violence from the left."
"Tesla is a peaceful company. We've never done anything harmful," Musk continued.
Elsewhere in the interview, the Tesla owner claimed that Democrats were behind the recent attacks against Tesla, adding:
"I always thought that the left, you know, Democrats, were supposed to be the party of empathy, the party of caring, and yet they're burning down cars, they're firebombing dealerships, they're firing bullets into dealerships, they're smashing up Teslas."
While speaking to host Sean Hannity, Elon Musk claimed that the recent vandalism against Tesla was part of a broader conspiracy to attack him. He alleged that people were retaliating because he "stopped their fraud," alluding to the thousands of federal workers he laid off after President Donald Trump charged him with heading DOGE.
"I mean, I don't know, who's funding it and who's coordinating it? Because this is crazy. I've never seen anything like this. And they basically want to kill me because I'm stopping their fraud, and they want to hurt Tesla because we're stopping the terrible waste and corruption in the government," Elon Musk said.
Both Trump and the Justice Department have labeled the attacks against Tesla as "domestic terrorism." In a statement from the Department of Justice on March 20, US Attorney General Pam Bondi warned of strict punishment for offenders, including jail time of up to 20 years.
In addition to Tesla showrooms being vandalized, several Tesla cars and charging stations have also been shot at and burned. In February 2024, Lucy Grace Nelson was arrested in connection with a string of vandalism against a Tesla dealership in Colorado. The woman was accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at the cars in the dealership and spray-painting the words "Nazi cars" on the building.
According to the BBC, Adam Matthew Lansky, aged 41, was charged with "possession of a destructive device" after allegedly attacking a Tesla dealership in Salem, Oregon, with Molotov cocktails. Daniel Clarke-Pounder, aged 24, was arrested for arson after he allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at Tesla charging stations in South Carolina.
Despite the widespread vandalism, several peaceful demonstrations have been held to protest Elon Musk's continued involvement in government affairs.
On March 10, Donald Trump bought a red Tesla Model S electric car in a show of support for Elon Musk after Tesla endured decreased stock prices and continued protests.
