“Americans only pay attention to spectacles,” the suspect wrote before detonating a Tesla Cybertruck outside a Trump hotel
The highly decorated US Army Green Beret suspected of staging the blast outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day stated that the act was not a terrorist attack but rather a “wakeup call” to all Americans, according to letters found on his smartphone.
On January 1, 2025, a Tesla Cybertruck filled with fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. The driver, identified as 37-year-old Army Green Beret Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, was found dead inside the vehicle. The explosion caused minor injuries to seven bystanders and resulted in minimal damage to the hotel, initially alarming federal investigators as a potential terrorist act.
The letters, made public by Las Vegas police on Friday, reveal Livelsberger’s deep frustration with societal issues and his internal struggles. In one letter, he wrote that he “needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.”
BREAKING: Las Vegas Metro police release more letters from bomber Matthew Livelsberger where he tells Americans to “rally around” Donald Trump, Elon Musk and RFK Jr. https://t.co/RKxmEd5PFvpic.twitter.com/V7AN110STN
“This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?” Livelsberger wrote.
We are the United States of America, the best country people to ever exist! But right now we are terminally ill and headed toward collapse.
He listed a wide range of societal issues he believes need to be resolved, including processed foods and obesity, income inequality and homelessness, weak leadership and lack of masculinity, as well as blatant corruption.
“Stop obsessing over diversity. We are all diverse and DEI is a cancer,” he wrote, adding that “thankfully, we rejected the DEI candidate and will have a real President instead of Weekend at Bernie’s.”
“We must end the war in Ukraine with a negotiated settlement. It is the only way,” he noted, adding that “our population is too fat to join the military, yet we are facing a war with China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran before 2030.”
His second letter was addressed to his fellow servicemembers, veterans, militias, and all Americans, in which he apparently urged them to ensure that Democrats do not prevent Trump from assuming power and “purging” the nation of its supposed ills.
“We are being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves,” he wrote. “Try peaceful means first, but be prepared to fight to get the Dems out of the federal government and military by any means necessary. They all must go, and a hard reset must occur for our country to avoid collapse.”
Master Sgt. Livelsberger was a highly decorated member of the Special Forces, with multiple deployments to Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Congo, and reportedly even Ukraine, as well as several commendations, including multiple Bronze Stars. According to officials, Livelsberger had been battling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dealing with personal upheaval, including a recent separation from his wife.
Livelsberger reportedly took his own life with a gunshot before triggering the explosion. His writings indicate that he was overwhelmed by a combination of personal and professional pressures, though investigators caution against interpreting the letters as providing a definitive motive for his actions.
