# Cybertruck explodes outside Trump hotel in vegas, one dead \[2025-01-01\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** breaking-news, trump\ **Created:** [January 1, 2025, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464 "2025-01-01T22:44:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/81 "2025-01-03T14:57:53Z")
Good information. In that case, it seems like he did a pretty crappy job if he intended to do damage to something other than the truck. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/82 "2025-01-03T15:12:30Z")
News reports that his wife had filed for divorce a few days earlier and that he was a Trump voter. He also reportedly shot himself before the explosion. My wag is he was distraught and wanted his death to be big news. He also might have had a sense of betrayal after Musk’s immigration comments. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/83 "2025-01-03T16:07:19Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > All information currently available says he was a Green Beret. If so he absolutely had training in improvised explosive devices. Today’s paper quoted an ATF source to the effect of, “The explosive was not as sophisticated as we would expect given his military experience.” ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/84 "2025-01-03T17:07:29Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > All information currently available says he was a Green Beret. If so he absolutely had training in improvised explosive devices. > > Today’s paper quoted an ATF source to the effect of, “The explosive was not as sophisticated as we would expect given his military experience.” For part of my Army career I was a Combat Engineer. I have experience blowing shit up. I have extremely limited experience improvising explosives. Certainly not as much as a career Special Forces soldier. Even I know if you are using commercial fireworks you would need to deconstruct them and separate out the explosive material in order to make an effective bomb. The main ingredient is usually black powder which is a low explosive. Any device has to take that into account so it goes boom instead of burning. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/85 "2025-01-03T17:16:40Z")
The local news here in Las Vegas is sticking with the “design of the cybertruck helped contain the explosion” narrative. They seem to have done all of their reporting in the first few hours after the incident and have been repeating the same points over and over since then. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/86 "2025-01-03T17:34:35Z")
So the evidence would seem to say that he was trying to get attention, not destroy stuff. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/87 "2025-01-03T18:43:00Z")
Two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers… and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/88 "2025-01-03T19:21:09Z")
News reported a Five-time recipient of the Bronze Star. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/89 "2025-01-03T21:18:39Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > News reported a Five-time recipient of the Bronze Star. I’m going to let you in on a little military secret as long as you promise not to tell anyone. Bronze Stars don’t mean much. All it means is that he deployed multiple times, didn’t screw up and was of sufficiently high rank to be approved for a Bronze Star. The major exception is if it was a Bronze Star with a V for valor. Bronze Stars can be awarded for either merit or valor. Awards for valor are rare. Awards for merit are very common. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/90 "2025-01-03T22:19:07Z")
One of the five had a V. His girlfriend reported that he has symptoms of TBI. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/91 "2025-01-03T23:02:36Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Today’s paper quoted an ATF source to the effect of, “The explosive was not as sophisticated as we would expect given his military experience.” The one thing I never wanted associated with my name post mortem was anything along the lines of “For somebody in his biz, he sure sorta sucked at it.” Our Green Beret seems to have sucked at it. Or had had his psyche destroyed by the rigors of a supremely difficult job. I’ve seen that tragedy up close and there’s not enough money in tbe Treasury to bring back what those poor bastards gave up in service to their country. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/92 "2025-01-03T23:08:41Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > he has symptoms of TBI. Temporary Breast Implosion? Total Binocular Infravision? Technical Bariatric Intelligence? Tyrolean Brotherhood International? Help me out here. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/93 "2025-01-03T23:12:22Z")
Traumatic brain injury > **[Traumatic brain injury](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traumatic_brain_injury)** > > A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity ranging from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI/concussion) to severe traumatic brain injury. TBI can also be characterized based on mechanism (closed or penetrating head injury) or other features (e.g., occurring in a specific location or over a widespread area). Head injury is a broader category that may involve damage to other C... > Causes include [falls](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falling_(accident)), [vehicle collisions](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_collisions) and violence. Brain trauma occurs as a consequence of a sudden acceleration or deceleration within the cranium or by a complex combination of both movement and sudden impact. In addition to the damage caused at the moment of injury, a variety of events following the injury may result in further injury. These processes may include alterations in [cerebral blood flow](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_blood_flow) and [pressure within the skull](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intracranial_pressure). He may have had damage to his brain over the years he was a soldier that were manifesting now. One cause can be having been in the vicinity of too many explosions. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/94 "2025-01-03T23:19:43Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > > [@Dinsdale](#): > > > > Today’s paper quoted an ATF source to the effect of, “The explosive was not as sophisticated as we would expect given his military experience.” > > The one thing I never wanted associated with my name post mortem was anything along the lines of “For somebody in his biz, he sure sorta sucked at it.” > > Our Green Beret seems to have sucked at it. > > Or had had his psyche destroyed by the rigors of a supremely difficult job. I’ve seen that tragedy up close and there’s not enough money in tbe Treasury to bring back what those poor bastards gave up in service to their country. Could be this was spur of the moment and he didn’t really plan it out. Could be as a Master Sergeant his days of cross training with explosives were long behind him. I haven’t heard what his specialty was. It could have been medical or communication. Or maybe he wasn’t trying for maximum destruction. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/95 "2025-01-03T23:21:19Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Traumatic brain injury And, as noted in that Wikipedia article: > [@](#): > > Firearms[[15]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traumatic_brain_injury#cite_note-Howieson04-15) and blast injuries from explosions[[62]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traumatic_brain_injury#cite_note-Champion09-62) are other causes of TBI, which is the leading cause of death and disability in war zones.[[63]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traumatic_brain_injury#cite_note-Park08-63) According to Representative [Bill Pascrell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Pascrell) (Democrat, NJ), TBI is “the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.” ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/96 "2025-01-03T23:22:33Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I’m going to let you in on a little military secret as long as you promise not to tell anyone. > > Bronze Stars don’t mean much. All it means is that he deployed multiple times, didn’t screw up and was of sufficiently high rank to be approved for a Bronze Star I think the point was, he wasn’t a military fuck up. And you confirmed it. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/97 "2025-01-03T23:22:34Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > Traumatic brain injury > > And, as noted in that Wikipedia article: > > > [@](#): > > > > Firearms[[15]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traumatic_brain_injury#cite_note-Howieson04-15) and blast injuries from explosions[[62]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traumatic_brain_injury#cite_note-Champion09-62) are other causes of TBI, which is the leading cause of death and disability in war zones.[[63]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traumatic_brain_injury#cite_note-Park08-63) According to Representative [Bill Pascrell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Pascrell) (Democrat, NJ), TBI is “the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.” It’s been the signature injury in wars for centuries we just didn’t understand it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/98 "2025-01-03T23:24:23Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > I’m going to let you in on a little military secret as long as you promise not to tell anyone. > > > > Bronze Stars don’t mean much. All it means is that he deployed multiple times, didn’t screw up and was of sufficiently high rank to be approved for a Bronze Star > > I think the point was, he wasn’t a military fuck up. And you confirmed it. Thanks! Quite true. From all reports he was an active member of a Special Forces Group. You don’t stay there if you are a fuck up. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/99 "2025-01-03T23:29:47Z")
CNN has some helpful reporting on likely reasons for his actions: > **[Driver who exploded Cybertruck in Las Vegas railed about ‘political...](https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/03/us/las-vegas-cybertruck-explosion/index.html)** > > The man who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas wrote of “political grievances, issues about conflicts elsewhere” as well as “domestic issues” in the days leading up to his suicide, officials said Friday. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464/100 "2025-01-03T23:43:34Z")
Sounds like just a modern spin on self immolation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cybertruck-explodes-outside-trump-hotel-in-vegas-one-dead-2025-01-01/1012464.md?page=6)