Vandals have defaced a statue depicting the head of tech billionaire Elon Musk near SpaceX’s Starbase facility.
Since 2014, SpaceX has been converting the once desolate Boca Chica Beach into the busy hub of Starbase to launch its bold space ventures, as legions of employees and contractors work on the assembly of the Starship, Musk’s choice vessel for cosmic voyages. It comes as Trump caught out as he’s overheard making outrageous brag to his friends.
The statue has sustained noticeable damage, with parts of its face peeled away and harm to both the front and lower back areas. The landowner plans to install surveillance cameras to deter such acts of vandalism.
“We don’t want this to happen again because it was an effort to put it up and very expensive,” the property owner said. They said they tried to reach the artist responsible for creating the statue, but have not received a response. It comes as Trump suffers a mental collapse after a ‘senile’ moment on stage in the middle of a speech.
“They haven’t called us back. They are going to have to repair it,” the owner added, expressing the imperative need for restoration. This incident marks the second Elon Musk-related vandalism within the Rio Grande Valley this year alone.
The Elon Musk statue sits by the side of the road leading to his Space X facility
Across the United States and even internationally, properties affiliated with Musk’s electric vehicle empire, Tesla, are increasingly becoming targets of defacement.
To date, Tesla exhibition spaces, parking lots harboring vehicles, charging facilities, and Tesla cars owned by private individuals have all fallen victim to these attacks, although thankfully no physical injuries have arisen from these incidents.
Since President Donald Trump took office and appointed Musk to head the new Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to cut government spending, certain activities have increased noticeably. Experts in domestic extremism highlight that it’s too early to tell whether this uptick will become a sustained trend.
During Trump’s first term, his properties in New York, Washington, and other locations became focal points for protests. In the early stages of his second term, Tesla seems to be assuming that role.
“Tesla is an easy target,” Randy Blazak, a sociologist specializing in political violence, said. He added: “They’re rolling down our streets. They have dealerships in our neighborhoods.”
Critics of Musk have staged numerous peaceful protests at Tesla dealerships and factories throughout North America and Europe. Some Tesla owners, such as a U.S. senator who clashed with Musk, have publicly declared intentions to sell their cars.
In Oregon, a man has been charged after allegedly launching multiple Molotov cocktails at a Tesla store in Salem, then returning on another day to shoot out its windows. In the Portland suburb, a Tesla showroom was struck by over a dozen bullets last week, resulting in damage to some vehicles and windows; this was the second attack on the store within a single week.
The White House has supported Musk, one of the most prominent Trump administration members, and a significant contributor to committees promoting Trump’s political agenda.
Trump has labeled vandalism against Tesla as “domestic terror,” and has issued threats of retaliation, cautioning that those who target the company will be subjected to severe consequences.
