In the battle for the soul of our country, Elon Musk and Tesla are in the line of fire. Raging Marxists on the Left are taking a minor break from pushing transgenderism and racial division and instead are doubling down on the socialist stance that wealthy people are the enemy of the common good.

“At its core,” Manhattan Institute senior fellow Christopher Rufo stated in City Journal, “the Left appears to be shifting from an ‘antiracist’ narrative to an anti-wealth one — from a racial frame to an economic one. The sentiment driving the Tesla Takedown is rooted in economic resentment and a desire for leveling. Musk has become a symbol of everything progressives oppose: oligarchy, capitalism, wealth, and innovation. These, in their view, are marks of the oppressor.”

As if to underscore this point, The Daily Signal’s Tyler O’ Neil discussed a poll by RMG Research on Americans’ opinion about the Tesla attacks. He writes, “Self-identified atheists, Democrats, young people, and supporters of the policies of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are the most likely to approve of the violence and the least likely to consider it ‘domestic terrorism.’” In other words, people who think that rules and morality are subjective are the ones cheering on terrorism.

Musk also represents the American Dream. He was an immigrant from South Africa by way of Canada who came to the U.S. and created innovative creations from PayPal to Space X. He rose from the bottom to the top because the United States is a country of opportunity for all its people.

Marxism is the religion of greed. It wants what everyone else has. And Musk has a great deal of wealth and power.

He is also an easy target for hate. People are frustrated with DOGE, particularly the massive amounts of government layoffs it has engendered.

Furthermore, because Musk is a prominent businessman, hurting his businesses sends a message to others who dare to contradict the Left’s current point of view. Sadly, that means Tesla has taken a big hit in recent months.

As The Wall Street Journal reports, “Tesla’s global vehicle deliveries fell 13% in the first quarter from a year ago, further evidence that a growing consumer backlash against the brand and Chief Executive Elon Musk is hurting the automaker’s business.” Not only are leftists no longer buying Teslas, but people are disinclined to buy cars that are going to be casually assaulted and targeted by lunatic Marxists.

House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “tax the rich” sentiments may as well be Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s “eat the rich.” It’s fitting because the Left believes that AOC is the face of the Democrat Party. Why do you think leftists cheered when Luigi Mangione “allegedly” shot and killed United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson? If wealth and success equal oppression, then, of course, killing a CEO is justified — particularly if that CEO is getting wealthy off of frustrating health insurance.

If this is the next big radical movement on the Left, what will that mean for all the wealthy in their ranks? (Senator Bernie Sanders went from complaining about millionaires to himself becoming one.) Are millionaires safe? Does their wealth status count if they are Democrat? For the true believer, I would venture to say absolutely not.

These leftist domestic terrorists don’t care if the Tesla cars they vandalize are owned by the most ardent leftist environmentalist or dedicated Democrat. They are happy to key that car or throw a Molotov cocktail through the windshield as a virtue signal.

However, their politically motivated attacks are not just hurting Tesla; they’re also hurting everyday Americans. By targeting a wildly successful American business with violence, they are greatly impacting the retirement accounts of those who have investments in Tesla.

Attorney General Pam Bondi needs to crack down decisively and swiftly on the Tesla terrorists just as she is doing with Luigi Mangione in seeking the death penalty. If this ideology — oppressor vs. oppressed and hating those who have succeeded in our country by virtue of merit — isn’t nipped in the bud, the natural escalation will lead our country someplace truly dark.