--- title: "Musk Says Government Will “Go After” Tesla Critics" description: "As the federal government clamps down on dissent, Elon Musk has taken to the airwaves to threaten those protesting his company." date: "2025-03-29" modified: "2025-03-29" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/musk-government-go-after-tesla-critics" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Future Society" - "Tesla" tags: - "elon musk" - "protests" - "tesla" --- # Musk Says Government Will “Go After” Tesla Critics ![As the federal government clamps down on dissent, Elon Musk has taken to the airwaves to threaten those protesting his company.]() *\Image: Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty / Futurism\* Recent waves of Tesla [protests]() and [vandalism]() have made clear the growing discontent among US taxpayers of all stripes. While Elon Musk and Donald Trump slash through federal government jobs and social welfare programs, voters are [demanding accountability]() and an end to Musk's unchecked rampage. That might be a long way off, if Musk has anything to say about it. And unfortunately for us, he's one of the few who does. In an [interview with *Fox News*](), Musk railed against anyone targeting his company, threatening that the government will be investigating the protests. "The people pushing the propaganda... those are the real villains here," he seethed in response to a question about what the protests mean to him. "We're gonna go after them, and the president's made that clear, we're going to go after them, the ones providing the money, the ones pushing the lies and propaganda, we're going after them." Musk and his [faithful stenographers]() have repeatedly conflated vandalism and protests against Tesla as "violence," in a rhetorical shift that coincides with federal law enforcement agencies under Trump expanding the definition of "terrorism" to include taking part in [peaceful demonstrations]() and [writing op-eds](). That has been used to justify a number of extrajudicial kidnappings and deportations, like the [unlawful arrest]() of Columbia PhD student Mahmoud Khalil by plainclothes federal agents earlier this month. Whether Tesla protestors will face the same threat of being [disappeared]() is anyone's guess, but it's a jarring signal given the US state's [increasingly cruel]() stance toward [immigrants](), [students](), and [critics](). Musk's ominous warning also comes days after Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the formation of an [FBI taskforce]() to investigate damage and vandalism done to Tesla vehicles, sparking major concerns that the state is officially acting as the watchdog to an unelected oligarch's profit-driven ventures. For her part, Bondi parroted Musk's more [devoted reply guys]() in claiming that there's an operation "behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes" against Tesla, though she fell short of offering any evidence. So far, the [widespread hatred]() for Tesla and its CEO has shown itself to be totally organic — hard earned by Musk's tampering with the federal government, on top of his [cryptofascist antics](). The now-nationally coordinated Tesla Takedown protests are ramping up, meanwhile, with over [200 demonstrations]() planned around the world on Saturday. Whether Musk likes it or not, taxpayers are finding that Tesla may be the only avenue left to seek accountability for the billionaire's actions. It's worked so far — a [recent survey]() has found that two-thirds of Americans say they wouldn't drive a Tesla, as Tesla's stocks plummet for the [ninth straight week](). "I think there's some real evil out there, and we have to overcome it," Musk said in his interview. "They're pushing these lies, and why do they push these lies? I think we need to hold people responsible for pushing these lies." **More on Tesla protests:** [*Hundreds Protest Outside Tesla Dealership, Storm Building*]() ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()