CNN host Michael Smerconish slams 'The Daily Show' audience cheering 'domestic terrorism' against Tesla

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: CNN host Michael Smerconish has slammed 'The Daily Show' audience who cheered violent acts committed at Tesla locations and against individual Tesla owners amid a backlash against the company's CEO Elon Musk.

Smerconish compared the cheers to the tasteless praise for Luigi Mangione, who was charged in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024, per Mediaite.

Michael Smerconish slams audience cheering on 'The Daily Show' over violence against Tesla

Earlier last week,  a segment on 'The Daily Show' covered the string of angry protests and violent attacks on Tesla vehicles, charging locations, and properties across the country.

During the show, each mention of an act of violence was met with cheers and applause by the show's audience, and even host Jordan Klepper was surprised, per the outlet.

On Saturday, March 22, CNN host Smerconish brought up the crowd's reaction in his commentary on 'Smerconish'.

He played the clip of 'The Daily Show' in which Klepper says to the crowd at the end, "Wow, you guys like petty acts of domestic terrorism, huh?"

Taking a dig at the crowd, Smerconish said, "The crowd’s reaction reminds me of those who cheered for Luigi Mangione after he was charged for the murder of a healthcare executive."

He added, "Likely due at least in part to Musk’s unpopularity, the value of Tesla Motors has plummeted, sales have slumped. Some are cheering the decline."

He continued and showed a clip of former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz mocking Tesla, which the Democrat has since tried to walk back, per Mediaite.

Smerconish said he was shocked to know how many of his own SiriusXM listeners have been "eager to rationalize all the violence."

He said, "But the FBI certainly isn’t doing that. They issued a PSA warning the public to be on the lookout for various indicators that could be precursors to planned attacks."

He further mentioned, "The Trump administration is also taking it seriously. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the attacks nothing short of domestic terrorism. She’s already charged three individuals with Tesla-related violence."

"A woman in Loveland, Colorado, tried to light Teslas on fire with Molotov cocktails and was later found with materials that could produce more incendiary weapons," Smerconish added.

Donald Trump warns Tesla vandals could serve 20-year sentence in El Salvador prisons

President Donald Trump threatened serious jail time and even deportation for anyone caught vandalizing Tesla vehicles.

Taking to his Truth Social account, the POTUS posted on Friday, "People that get caught sabotaging Teslas will stand a very good chance of going to jail for up to twenty years, and that includes the funders. WE ARE LOOKING FOR YOU!!!"

After a few hours, he doubled down and said, "I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20-year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla. Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions!"

Meanwhile, legal experts informed NPR that deporting US citizens is unconstitutional.

Moreover, even shipping non-citizens off to Salvadoran jails is legally shaky provided the documented human rights abuses that take place at the prisons, per the outlet.

Notably, President Trump made the social media posts after Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that three suspects had been arrested for allegedly attempting to torch Teslas and charging stations with Molotov cocktails across Oregon, Colorado, and South Carolina, per The New York Times.

On March 17, two Cybertrucks were found engulfed in flames at a Kansas City dealership, and on March 18, an arsonist set an entire row of Teslas on fire at a service center in Las Vegas.