Elon Musk, who has been infamously dubbed as President-elect Donald Trump’s “Co-President,” has a historical past of racially questionable habits. Listed here are 5 cases of Musk utilizing his energy and affect to advertise divisive rhetoric.
1. Defending “Free Speech” On X/Twitter
When Elon Musk acquired Twitter and renamed it X again in 2022, he wasted no time advocating without cost speech on the app. Musk, who describes himself as a “free speech absolutist,” had reportedly acknowledged: “Twitter has change into form of the de facto city sq., so it’s simply actually essential that individuals have … each the truth and the notion that they’re able to converse freely throughout the bounds of the regulation.” In keeping with Related Press, the rise in hate speech turned so dangerous on the platform that Musk requested nonprofit researchers be penalized for monitoring it.
2. Supporting Donald Trump
After Trump received the presidential election in November, Musk turned America’s largest political donor. He donated $277 million to again Donald Trump in addition to different Republicans, per CBS Information. Watchdog teams are nervous that this has elevated Musk’s entry to Trump and can affect the Republican occasion agenda as Musk is presently the main target of a number of authorities investigations. Trump has accused Haitian immigrants in Ohio of consuming pets, referred to as Mexicans rapists and have pledged to deport immigrants at file charges. Musk is aware of what he’s doing by aligning himself with this rhetoric.
3. Subscribing To A Professional-Apartheid X Account
In keeping with the Chicago Defender, the tech billionaire is reportedly a paid subscriber to a racist account on X. Musk apparently follows “Boer” (@twatterbaas), a pro-apartheid X account that has continuously shared content material racist commentary about South Africa’s Black inhabitants and calling for energy to be returned to white Africans. Musk, who was raised in South Africa, additionally pays for Boer’s “bonus content material and further perks” as a subscriber.
4. Posting Racist Photographs In Response To Elizabeth Warren’s Name For Ethics Requirements
Earlier this month, Musk posted racist pictures of Elizabeth Warren after the Massachusetts senator demanded that President-elect Donald Trump have Musk adhere to ethics requirements set for presidency officers. The Impartial reported that Musk went on X to submit pictures that apparently had been made by synthetic intelligence to make Warren seem in Native American apparel. One of many pictures depicted Warren sporting a beaded headdress with fowl feathers and a buckskin shirt with a leather-based fringe, whereas others confirmed Warren in Native American apparel whereas consuming cake and grinning.
5. Praising German Extremists
In December, Musk took to X and described the racist, far-right Different for Germany (AfD) occasion as Germany’s final hope. “Solely the AfD can save Germany,” he posted on X based on Mom Jones. This assertion was in response to Naomi Seibt, a younger German right-wing influencer who wrote: “The presumptive subsequent chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) is horrified by the concept Germany ought to comply with Elon Musk’s and Javier Milei’s instance.” The AfD garners controversy as a result of lots of its leaders are Nazi sympathizers.