A 2024 Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside Trump’s Las Vegas property Wednesday morning, shaking up both the city and the internet. Authorities say the truck, packed with fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel, was rigged to a driver-controlled detonation system.
The blast killed the driver, left seven people injured, and left everyone wondering: What the heck is going on? The rented vehicle arrived in Vegas from Colorado around 7:30 a.m., drove up and down the iconic Las Vegas Boulevard for an hour, and then stopped in front of the Trump Hotel just before detonating.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows the truck circling the area before finally parking and erupting in flames seconds later. The explosion has started an FBI investigation. “We’re working to determine if this was a terrorist act,” Jeremy Schwartz, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas office, said. “At this time, we believe this was an isolated incident.”
A Cybertruck like no other
Fire crews arrived at the scene shortly after 8:40 a.m. to find the 2024 Tesla Cybertruck engulfed in flames. The driver’s body remains inside the vehicle as investigators work to identify them. Seven bystanders were injured in the blast, but all are in stable condition, according to Deputy Fire Chief Billy Samuels.
Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill gave credit to the Cybertruck’s design for limiting the damage. “The blast went straight up through the truck, sparing the hotel’s glass doors and surrounding structures,” he said. “This could have been a lot worse.”
And then there’s Elon Musk. Tesla’s eccentric CEO is directly tied to the chaos, being the best friend of President Donald Trump right now. Authorities confirmed Elon provided Tesla charging station footage to help track the truck’s movements.
From Cybertrucks to Kekius Maximus
Just days before the explosion, Elon pulled one of his classic stunts. On New Year’s Eve, he changed his X (formerly Twitter) display name to “Kekius Maximus” and swapped his profile picture to the internet-famous Pepe the Frog.
Almost instantly, a memecoin called Kekius Maximus (KEKIUS) went viral. The token, inspired by internet culture and Elon’s antics, exploded in value. Its market cap skyrocketed from $54,000 to $10.4 million in just one hour. The trading volume hit $2.73 million, and the token’s price surged by over 900%, peaking at $0.005667.
The crypto community went wild. Traders speculated whether Elon was directly involved in the token’s sudden rise. On-chain sleuths pointed to one trader who bought $4,360 worth of KEKIUS just hours before the surge, turning it into a $638,000 windfall.
But by press time, the bubble burst. KEKIUS lost 50% of its value in 24 hours after a whale cashed out millions. The token’s market cap remains over $130 million, but the buzz has cooled a bit. And Elon has changed his display name back.
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