A group of Republican legislators from Connecticut rushed Monday to the defense of Elon Musk’s profits by holding a state Capitol press conference to declare anti-Tesla protests and vandalism acts of “domestic terrorism.”
Connecticut Republicans have been largely silent as the Trump administration and Tesla CEO Musk have gutted the federal workforce and pursued cuts to vital services for Connecticut seniors, veterans and working families. They have been similarly quiet on Trump’s proposed tariff hikes on everything from electricity bills to car prices.
However, following recent complaints from Musk that the resulting protests and vandalism were “costing me a lot,” the Connecticut Conservative Caucus was moved to speak out.
Eight concerned legislators hosted a late-morning press conference in the Legislative Office Building to condemn vandalism, protests near Tesla locations, and harshly worded notes as acts of domestic terrorism.
“Now, twisted individuals are turning their aggressive words against Musk into sick cases of domestic terrorism with his company, its products, and consumers being attacked,” Rep. Craig Fishbein, chair of the Conservative Caucus, said.
Fishbein and other House Republicans called on Connecticut residents to report anti-Tesla activity to law enforcement. They called on Attorney General William Tong to “thoroughly investigate” any reports of such activity. They called on Gov. Ned Lamont and other elected officials to “immediately and publicly denounce” these anti-Tesla actions.
News reporters complicated the narrative when they asked Republicans for examples of such terrorism in Connecticut. Fishbein gave several examples:
- An unnamed elected official in the Capitol had their Tesla “damaged.”
- A hateful sticker was placed on a Tesla vehicle in Fairfield.
- Concerned citizens staged a protest outside a Tesla showroom in Milford.
- The wife of an unnamed lobbyist received a note on her vehicle.
Fishbein read the offending note aloud during the press conference: “You and your Tesla suck! Elon supporter.”
The United States has long grappled with domestic terrorism in its various forms. These attacks are typically deadly. For instance, the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City took the lives of 168 people including 19 children, according to the FBI.
More recent examples of domestic terrorism have often been racially or ethnically motivated, according to statistics from the Department of Homeland Security included in a 2023 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. For instance, a racially motivated offender murdered five police officers in Dallas in 2016; another shooter murdered 10 people in Buffalo in 2022.
On Monday, the Connecticut Conservative Caucus issued a press release warning that the protests, hateful stickers, and mean notes could not be tolerated.
“These acts of domestic terrorism are disgusting and must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent possible, including consideration of state and federal hate crime laws,” Fishbein said.
Following the press conference, Senate President Martin Looney and Majority Leader Bob Duff issued a joint statement referencing President Donald Trump’s Saturday statement to NBC News that he “couldn’t care less” if his tariffs caused automakers to raise their prices on consumers.
“Today, Connecticut Republicans made clear they don’t care about rising prices in our state either,” Looney and Duff said. “Republicans have been silent on cuts to programs that keep women and children safe from abuse, life-saving care for veterans, and medical research and cures.
“Republicans care about Elon Musk’s feelings but aren’t worried at all about the people of Connecticut,” Looney and Duff said.
