After years of spewing anti-Trump hatred, Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson has finally been permanently suspended from X. His removal came after a widely criticized post directing readers to an article titled “Kill Tesla, Save The Country,” which many saw as promoting violence against Elon Musk’s company.
The post included an image of a burning Tesla Cybertruck outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel, along with language telling readers to “attack.” The backlash was swift, with conservatives accusing Wilson of encouraging terrorism and Musk calling him “a psycho.”
https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/190246169393198290
Wilson initially received a 30-day suspension and could have returned if he deleted the post. Instead, he escalated matters with mocking videos and foul-mouthed responses. By Thursday, X made the ban permanent.
In his article, Wilson pushed for economic campaigns to hurt Tesla’s market image, but critics argued that his tone and imagery sent a much darker message. He wrote that Tesla served fascists and claimed Musk’s power rested on an overinflated stock price.
The Department of Justice has already charged multiple individuals in connection with attacks on Tesla, according to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. She described these acts as domestic terrorism and said investigations will continue to include those behind the scenes funding or coordinating violence.
Wilson has previously called for someone to “put a bullet in Donald Trump,” a remark made during a cable appearance in 2015. In 2024, Trump survived two assassination attempts, one in July and another in September.
Wilson helped launch the Lincoln Project after abandoning the Republican Party once it embraced President Donald Trump’s America-first platform. The group’s reputation took a further hit when John Weaver, one of its founders, was accused of preying on young men.
Another Substack post by Wilson called Musk a coward and included a video full of profane language. He also included an image of Bruce Springsteen making an obscene gesture and claimed it represented his appeal.
A radical website, reportedly tied to Antifa, has exposed Tesla owners’ names and addresses on an interactive map and uses a Molotov cocktail as its cursor.
