Elon Musk claims ‘bad people’ want to assassinate him, slams ‘deranged’ Tesla attacks
Elon Musk has publicly addressed threats against him and Tesla, amid controversy over his push to cut federal bureaucracy.
As the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and a close ally of President Donald Trump, the billionaire has faced increasing scrutiny in recent weeks due to his aggressive efforts to reduce federal fraud.
Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night, Musk said, “It turns out when you take away people’s, you know, the money that they’re receiving fraudulently, they get very upset.”
“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. And, well, I guess they’re bad people. Bad people do bad things.”
Elon Musk echoed statements made by conservative lawmakers, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, suggesting that “larger forces” may be behind the attacks.
“I mean, who’s funding and who’s coordinating it? Because this is crazy. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
He went on to defend Tesla, calling it a peaceful company.
“Tesla is a peaceful company; we’ve never done anything harmful. I’ve never done anything harmful; I’ve only done productive things, so I think we just have a deranged… I think there’s some kind of mental illness going on here.”
Tesla owners’ personal data reportedly leaked
On Tuesday morning, an arsonist reportedly used Molotov cocktails to set five Teslas ablaze before firing rounds into the burning vehicles at a Las Vegas dealership.
Hours later, 404 Media and the New York Post reported that a website called ‘Dogequest’ had apparently flagged personal details of Tesla owners across the U.S., threatening to shame and intimidate them. The website’s cursor reportedly displays a Molotov cocktail image.
Trump backs Elon Musk amid rising backlash
Last week, around 250 activists gathered outside a Tesla showroom in New York City, holding signs that read ‘Block Fascism Now’ and ‘Musk Must Go’ while chanting, “Elon Musk is not elected! Democracy must be protected!”
President Donald Trump, speaking from the White House, defended Musk and Tesla.
“They’re harming a great American company,” Trump said.
“Let me tell you, you do it to Tesla, and you do it to any company, we’re going to catch you, and… you’re going to go through hell.”