Tech mogul and top Trump ally Elon Musk said he is suing former Rep. Jamaal Bowman on Friday after Bowman called Musk a “nazi” on CNN.
Musk replied to a post on X Friday night, saying he has “had enough” in response to a video of the former New York congressman criticizing Musk and calling him a “thief” and a “nazi.”
“Lawsuit inbound,” Musk said.
I’ve had enough. Lawsuit inbound.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 22, 2025
Bowman on CNN attacked Musk’s work with President Donald Trump. Musk has been a top ally in Trump’s push to restructure and shrink the federal bureaucracy. The Department of Government Efficiency, an idea originally suggested by Musk, has worked with agencies and departments across the federal government to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse from their operations and priorities.
Bowman said Thursday on CNN that the “American people do not trust Elon Musk” because Musk is “incompetent.”
“This shows again that the American people do not trust Elon Musk, and that Elon Musk is incompetent in his position. And how do we know? Because they fired tens of thousands of people, was challenged in court, the court said the people have to go back, and now the people are coming back. He’s incompetent, he’s a thief, he’s a nazi, and people don’t trust him,” Bowman said.
Bowman’s comments come as Musk’s electric car company, Tesla, is being targeted across the country by vandals. Americans who have bought Teslas and otherwise have no obvious ties to the company have been targeted over a perception of support for Musk.
At least 10 Tesla factories, facilities, and charging stations have been hit by vandals in recent weeks as backlash against Musk grows over his close relationship with Trump. Some of the attacks have included setting Tesla vehicles on fire.
One anonymously-created website listed the personal information of Tesla drivers in an apparent attempt to drive vandals toward Tesla owners.
“Encouraging destruction of Teslas throughout the country is extreme domestic terrorism!!” Musk posted on X this week.
Tesla’s stock price has tumbled significantly amid the wave of attacks on the car manufacturer. The car manufacturer’s stock price problems have been cheered by Democrats, including former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.
“Some of you know this. On the iPhone, they’ve got that little stock app. I added Tesla to it to give me a little boost during the day – $225 and dropping,” Walz said during a town hall in Wisconsin this week. “And if you own one, we’re not blaming you. You can take dental floss and pull the Tesla thing off.”
Bowman lost a reelection bid in 2024 in a Democratic primary against Rep. George Latimer, who challenged Bowman over his anti-Israel stance.
