Adam Kinzinger mocks ‘absolute child’ Trump over Tesla woes
President Donald Trump defended Tesla, Elon Musk’s cherished car company, on social media. He labeled people who vandalized Tesla vehicles “terrorists” deserving of severe consequences.
The president railed against anti-Musk protestors through a post in Truth Social. He wrote, “I look forward to watching sick terrorist thugs get 20-year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla.” Trump’s rhetoric worsened in the latter half of his post.
He thought that these protestors would be better off detained and sent to El Salvador, “which has become so recently famous for such lovely conditions.” The sarcasm wasn’t lost on anyone, but it’s nevertheless concerning rhetoric for a president of the United States.
Former Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger commented on Trump’s disconcerting post. “What an absolute child. Poor kid,” he said of Trump on X. Needless to say, it seems like a petulant social media rant. It’s as if the actual president of the United States is crashing out faster than Tesla stock.
Trump’s desperate defense of Tesla comes as no surprise. The president has already gone out of his way to endorse Tesla on the White House lawn. He had no reservations about turning public property into some showroom for Elon Musk, whose electric vehicle company’s stocks are swimming deep in the trenches.
Is Tesla-based violence really the issue?
Nevertheless, Trump’s underlying threat shouldn’t be downplayed. Earlier in the year, he claimed that it was “illegal” to boycott Tesla in defense of the car brand. This would be hilarious if Trump were not the president. But as of now, it’s just a chilling message from the head of the executive branch himself. It’s important to emphasize that these are not just empty threats. Arguably, the most disturbing development in this Tesla protectionism saga is that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) intends to create a taskforce that will “crack down on violent Tesla attacks.”
Violence, of course, is not the solution. The government is entitled to intervene when groups become violent. But the Trump administration, just a few months into office, has targeted non-violent pro-Palestinian protestors. Even those who are less prominent activists are being targeted. Tesla and pro-Palestinian protests are two different cases, but the Trump administration is showing an undeniable pattern of quashing dissent through state force. Who’s to say that Trump and company will not be hunting for people who are merely calling for a Tesla boycott? Any democracy ought to be disturbed when activists are nabbed for peacefully protesting.
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