The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 12th, 2025: Trump Says Violence Against Tesla Is Domestic Terrorism & US-Backed Kurdish Forces Merge With Syria's Islamist Government
Wed, 12 Mar 2025
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: First, President Donald Trump is coming to the aid of his chief political ally Elon Musk, threatening to label violence against Tesla dealerships as domestic terrorism. Later in the show, the Kurdish-led militia that controls northeastern Syria has agreed to merge its military and civilian institutions with the new Islamist government in Damascus, marking a major breakthrough for the country’s post-Assad leadership. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What did Trump say about violence against Tesla?
It's Wednesday, the 12th of March. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, amid a series of destructive protests and a rash of vandalism aimed at Elon Musk's electric car company Tesla, President Trump said those engaging in such acts should be labeled as domestic terrorists.
Later in the show, the Kurdish-led militia that controls northeastern Syria has agreed to merge its military and civilian institutions with the new Islamist government in Damascus. That's marking a major breakthrough for the country's post-Assad leadership. But first, today's afternoon spotlight.
President Trump is coming to the aid of one of his key political allies, that would be Elon Musk, threatening to label violence against Tesla dealerships as domestic terrorism. The statement comes in the wake of a series of destructive protests and acts of vandalism targeting the electric car maker over Musk's role in leading the Department of Government Efficiency, otherwise known as DOGE.
DOGE, of course, has undertaken sweeping cuts to the federal government workforce. And apparently, the protesters feel that an appropriate response to downsizing a bloated government is to engage in violence and destruction of property.
Speaking from the White House lawn alongside Musk on Tuesday, after showing his support by buying a new Tesla Model S, Trump said the protesters were, quote, harming a great American company and that persons engaging in violence against Tesla or any American company would be caught and, quote, go through hell.
When asked by a reporter if his Department of Justice, the DOJ, would label the protesters as domestic terrorists, Trump said, quote, I will do that. Activists have been staging so-called Tesla takedown protests to voice their displeasure at Musk and his association with President Trump.
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Chapter 2: What incidents of vandalism have occurred at Tesla dealerships?
And while the demonstrators say most of these protests have been peaceful, of course, that's what they say, several have been marked by violent acts, and that's according to a report from ABC News. For example, last week, a man was arrested for attempted arson at a Tesla dealership in Colorado. after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at vehicles and spray-painting Nazi cars on several Teslas.
Sounds peaceful, putting people inside the dealership in danger. Just one week earlier, a woman was arrested outside the same Tesla dealership after police caught her with explosives also sounds peaceful. One wonders if she had brightly colored hair.
In a similar incident in Massachusetts, seven Tesla charging stations sustained heavy fire-related damage last week after unknown vandals deliberately put the facilities to the torch. It is sounding increasingly peaceful.
In another case, last Friday, unknown vandals targeted a Tesla charging station in South Carolina, spray-painting expletives directed at President Trump, alongside the words, long live Ukraine, before throwing homemade Molotov cocktails, destroying three charging stations. Peaceful. As the saying goes, you can't fix stupid.
And in an even more disturbing scene, last week, unidentified gunmen fired shot with a mostly peaceful gunman, fired shots at a Tesla dealership in Tigard, Oregon. Police said seven bullets damaged three cars and shattered windows around the dealership. And, well, the attacks have continued.
Several vehicles outside a Tesla dealership in Seattle were set ablaze on Sunday in a peaceful example of arson, and the prior day in Washington, six Teslas were vandalized by peaceful activists who graffitied swastikas on the vehicles. Well, there are frankly too many incidents of vandalism and property destruction to list during this episode, but I suspect you get the picture.
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Chapter 3: How do protesters view their actions against Tesla?
Large-scale protests have also drawn the attention of law enforcement. Police arrested six people during a protest in New York City over the weekend after hundreds of demonstrators occupied a Tesla showroom. A similar demonstration drew some 350 protesters last week outside a Tesla dealership in Portland, Oregon.
Following Trump's remarks outside the White House on Tuesday, a spokesperson said, "...ongoing and heinous acts of violence against Tesla by radical leftist activists are nothing short of domestic terror." The remarks suggest that Trump could direct the U.S. Justice Department to charge Tesla vandals under terrorism statutes,
though it is unclear if the charges would hold up in court, and it's according to a report from Reuters. Suspects will likely argue that vandalizing a Tesla dealership does not meet the federal definition of domestic terrorism. The U.S.
Criminal Code defines domestic terrorism as, quote, acts dangerous to human life that are intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or government to advance a specific political objective. Well, not to split hairs, but some of these incidents are dangerous to human life and, well, they are intended to intimidate or coerce for a political objective. So, well, there's that.
Trump appeared determined to intercede on behalf of Musk, calling out what he labeled, quote, radical left lunatics for trying to, quote, illegally and collusively boycott the Tesla brand. But organizers of Tesla Takedown condemned Trump's statements and said they would not back down from protesting the company.
In a statement, the group said, "...peaceful protest on public property is not domestic terrorism. They're trying to intimidate us." They said that with no sense of irony. "...we will not let them succeed."
The group added, while yes, some of our protests have involved arson, shooting up vehicles, throwing Molotov cocktails, carrying explosives and other violent acts, we think we can gaslight the public into imagining we're just engaging in peaceful protests, end quote. Okay, fine. That last little bit was made up.
All right, coming up next, the Kurdish-led militia that controls northeastern Syria has agreed to merge its military and civilian infrastructure with the new Islamist government in Damascus. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin.
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of labeling protests as domestic terrorism?
As we've been discussing here on the PDB, one of the biggest challenges for Syria's new post-Assad government has been uniting its fractured factions into a single national army. And to that end, well, it looks like the new government has made some progress.
On Monday, the Kurdish-led militia controlling northeastern Syria agreed to merge its military and civilian infrastructure with the new Islamist government, and that's a major breakthrough for Damascus as it tries to assert national unity amid ongoing instability.
Under the deal, which includes an end to hostilities, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces will relinquish control over critical infrastructure including border crossings, airports, and vast oil and gas reserves. In exchange, the Kurdish minority is officially recognized as, quote, an integral part of the Syrian state, with assurances of political representation and governance participation.
An SDF commander hailed the agreement as, quote, a real opportunity to build a new Syria, framing it as a step towards securing rights for all Syrians. But beyond the rhetoric, the move represents a tactical shift that could ease tensions with Turkey and its allied factions, both of which have long opposed Kurdish autonomy in Syria.
For Ankara, the SDF's dominant faction, the Kurdish People's Protection Unit, has always been a non-starter. Turkey views the group as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the PKK. That's a terrorist organization that has waged a decades-long insurgency against the country.
While the PKK's imprisoned leader called for a ceasefire last month, Turkish officials made it clear that any Kurdish-led entity in northeastern Syria must be dissolved and fully integrated into the new government. The agreement has already garnered international reactions.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar praised the development as a step toward, quote, civil peace, while celebrations erupted in multiple cities with Syrians expressing relief after years of conflict and uncertainty. But the security landscape does remain volatile. In Western Syria, sectarian violence continues to fester.
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Chapter 5: What is the response from Tesla Takedown organizers?
Over the past week, mass killings of Alawite civilians during clashes between security forces and Assad loyalists sparked calls for international intervention to protect religious and ethnic minorities.
Meanwhile, in Syria's southern province, some Druze remain defiant, refusing to disarm, as reports suggest their leaders met with interim president and former al-Qaeda member Ahmed al-Shara in Damascus on Monday to discuss a potential deal similar to the one reached with the SDF. Israel, meanwhile, has not been quiet.
Officials in Jerusalem have warned that they may intervene militarily to safeguard Syria's Druze population from the new Islamist-led government which Israeli intelligence regards as a growing security threat. As of now, the SDF controls more than 18,000 square miles in northeastern Syria, and that's an area roughly the size of the US states of Vermont and New Hampshire combined.
And the SDF operates several prisons, housing some 10,000 Islamic State fighters. With Turkish-backed factions continuing to stage attacks in the region, SDF leaders caution that their forces are being stretched thin, heightening the risk of an Islamic State resurgence.
With this latest agreement, Damascus has secured an important victory in its bid to stabilize the country, bringing a powerful Kurdish force under the national umbrella. But, as you might imagine, obstacles do remain. Turkey's opposition, lingering ethnic and sectarian tensions, and the ever-present specter of terrorism suggest that Syria's long road to lasting peace
is still a long road and anything but assured. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Wednesday, the 12th of March. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And as the old saying goes, to listen to the show ad-free, well, become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by simply visiting pdbpremium.com.
I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.
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