“The Daily Show” co-host Jordan Klepper called out his studio audience on Wednesday night after the crowd applauded media footage of Tesla vehicles set on fire by arsonists.
Klepper reacted to the show of support for the acts of destruction against Tesla owner Elon Musk with an amused tone. He jokingly accused his audience of enjoying acts of “terror.”
“Wow. You guys like petty acts of domestic terrorism, huh?” the pundit asked. His comment was met with another round of cheers.
The scene occurred after Klepper played a montage of news reports about the vandalized and destroyed electric vehicles. As an ABC News clip showed multiple Tesla cars and Cybertrucks burning, the Comedy Central audience cheered.
A subsequent CBS News report about attackers using Molotov cocktails against the vehicles elicited more joy from the crowd. The audience also applauded a “Good Morning America” report on suspects shooting Teslas with guns, as well as more images of the burning vehicles in parking lots across the country.
Following the crowd’s joyous reaction, Klepper clarified that “Nobody should be breaking the law and blowing up Teslas.” However, he tacked on a quick joke at the end of his disclaimer: “Because if you just wait a few minutes, they’ll probably just do it by themselves.”
Klepper played one more news report about swastikas and other hateful messages being painted onto the cars, which the audience reacted to with laughter.
Musk’s car company has been the subject of a recent spate of violence from perpetrators apparently angry with his actions to cut government waste and fraud at the Department of Government Efficiency.
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Suspects around the country have keyed Tesla vehicles, set them on fire, and have etched hate symbols into them.
Multiple vehicles at a Tesla service center in Las Vegas were set ablaze in the early hours of Tuesday morning, with FBI officials saying the act “certainly has some of the hallmarks” of a terrorist attack. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is currently investigating the incident.
Prominent figures have also celebrated Tesla’s plight in the wake of Musk’s efforts to cut government spending under the Trump administration. In response to Tesla stock falling in recent days, former Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., told a Democratic audience, “On the iPhone, they’ve got that little stock app. I added Tesla to it to give me a little boost during the day.”
Musk returned the favor on X, telling Walz, “Sometimes when I need a little boost, I look at the @JDVance portrait in the White House and thank the Lord.”
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., posted a video on X last week explaining he was getting rid of his Tesla because of Musk, who the lawmaker referred to as an “a–hole.”
Late night host Jimmy Kimmel also mocked Tesla during one of his recent monologues, appearing to sarcastically tell his viewers, “Please don’t vandalize – don’t ever vandalize Tesla vehicles.”
