Allies of President Donald Trump accused a Democratic congresswoman of organizing and enabling “terrorism” for speaking to a group planning non-violent protests against Elon Musk’s Tesla.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) spoke Wednesday on a livestream set up by #TeslaTakedown, which has organized picketing outside the vehicle manufacturer’s showrooms in recent weeks, as well as encouraged supporters to sell their Teslas and dump the company’s stock. She explicitly told the audience that she was advocating “non-violent” protest only.
The group, which opposes Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s dramatic cuts to federal spending, said it is planning its “biggest day of action” on March 29, when supporters are slated to picket 277 Tesla locations in the United States and more than 500 abroad.
For participating in the livestream, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), a staunch Trump ally, accused Crockett in a social media post of “organizing political violence and terrorism.”
The Republican Greene chairs a House subcommittee focused on the government cuts being pursued by the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, while Crockett is one of its Democratic members.
Laura Loomer, the far-right conspiracy theorist who was a travelling guest of Trump during the election campaign, similarly charged in a social media post that Crockett “should be censured for enabling Domestic Terrorism.”
Loomer also falsely claimed she had obtained an “exclusive video” of Crockett speaking to the #TeslaTakedown livestream. In fact, it was publicly streamed on YouTube, where it remains available for anyone with internet access.
Musk reacted to Loomer’s “exclusive” with a single word: “Wow.”
During her remarks on the call, Crockett told organizers: “I am truly here for very selfish reasons, starting with on March 29 it’s my birthday and all I want to see happen on my birthday is for Elon to be taken down.”
She repeatedly stressed that she was advocating for peaceful protest against Musk and at one point after stating protestors were “fighting for democracy” and “fighting for our freedoms,” she paused to note the word fight was meant figuratively.
“Obviously, everything that I am promoting is non-violent,” she added.
Crockett went on to tell the livestream that “the best way to show that we are American is by using our constitutional rights and deciding that we are going to engage in protest, especially when we have elected officials and then unelected people like [Musk].”
The so-called #TeslaTakedown protests began in earnest in early February with demonstrations at a handful of Tesla locations and has since grown to include hundreds of people nationwide.
Two of the lead organizers are Hollywood actor Alex Winter, best known for his role in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and the Boston University sociologist Joan Donovan, a leading expert on disinformation.
Both spoke during Tuesdays livestream alongside actor John Cusack, journalists, federal workers, and union representatives.
Unrelated to the protests, there has been a wave of arson and vandalism targeting Tesla showrooms, which Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have labeled “domestic terrorism.”
In accusing Crockett of being involved in “domestic terrorism” for speaking to #TeslaTakedown, Greene, Loomer and other MAGA fixtures on social media appeared to be attempting to conflate the constitutionally protected right to freedom of assembly with violent criminal acts.
Meanwhile, the backlash against Tesla—which Musk joined as chairman in 2004 and became CEO of in 2008—has coincided with major challenges to the company’s core revenues.
Data released in Europe, Australia, and China in recent weeks suggests competitors are claiming a larger share of the electric vehicle market, while Tesla’s shares have fallen 41 percent this year, as of Wednesday’s market close.
