Tesla has faced a new wave of vandalism and protests in Canada as President Donald Trump’s rhetoric against the country continues to escalate.
The electric car company, owned by top Trump advisor Elon Musk, has become the subject of protests against the Trump administration because of Musk’s proximity to the president and his comments about Canada.
Newsweek contacted Tesla for a response to the protests via email.
Why It Matters
Musk’s increasing influence in the White House under Trump has made his companies a target for political backlash, with protests against Tesla in particular becoming more prevalent in the U.S., but also in Canada and Europe, where Musk has attempted to influence politics.
What To Know
Reports of vandalism targeting Tesla have increased over the weekend, with over 80 vehicles being damaged at a dealership in Ontario.
Police said that dozens of cars had their tires punctured and bodywork scratched, while in Montreal, another dealership had paint sprayed on it by protestors who then sat outside the building.
Other protests in Langley, British Columbia, and in Edmonton, Alberta, saw over a dozen activists gather outside dealerships voicing opposition to Musk and his support of Trump’s tariff policy, which has placed huge taxes on Canadian steel imports to the U.S.
The trade policy has also been accompanied by inflammatory rhetoric. Trump has called for Canada to become the 51st state, and referred to then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the “governor of Canada.”
Musk has seemingly supported this characterization, with CNN reporting that he said “Canada is not a real country” in a since-deleted post on his social media site X, formerly Twitter.
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The anger of the protestors has often been directed at Musk himself, with one activist at the Langley dealership telling Global News: “I think Elon Musk is evil. I was going to buy a Tesla last year myself and I was so glad that I didn’t.
“But I feel so bad for people who did and have to live with this, but I think we have to stand up as Canadians.”
Another protest organizer said: “If we push hard, we can bring people like Elon Musk down”
What People Are Saying
In reaction to the continued protests against Tesla, Elon Musk said: “Tesla is a peaceful company; we’ve never done anything harmful, I’ve never done anything harmful; I’ve always done productive things. So there’s some kind of mental illness thing going on because this doesn’t make any sense.”
President Donald Trump said that he would make violence against Tesla a terrorism charge: “I will do that. I’m going to stop them. Because they are harming a great American company. It’s a great product, and we have to celebrate [Musk].”
What Happens Next
Canadian opinion of Musk and Trump continues to decline as the trade conflict develops. The country is set to face a new wave of tariffs taking effect on April 2.
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