On the weekend of 8-9 March 2025, Valerie Costa, an organiser of the Tesla Takedown protest movement, was publicly attacked by Elon Musk after he accused her on his X social media platform of "committing crimes" in relation to the group's peaceful protests against Tesla and Musk's political influence. Musk's accusations, which included the false claim that Costa's group, "Troublemakers," was funded by ActBlue, triggered a wave of harassment and threats toward Costa, forcing her to take measures to protect her safety. Costa and other organisers have stated they are engaged solely in nonviolent protest and denied any involvement in vandalism or illegal acts.

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Tesla to respond; it did not.