- The White House blasted Elon Musk after he endorsed an antisemitic post on X.
- A spokesperson said Musk's tweet was an "abhorrent promotion of Antisemitic and racist hate."
The White House on Friday blasted Elon Musk for the "abhorrent promotion of Antisemitic and racist hate" after the Tesla CEO replied with his approval to an antisemitic tweet.
"It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of Antisemitism in American history at any time, let alone one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Bates tagged Musk in his post.
—Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) November 17, 2023
Musk, who bought Twitter last year, sparked a still-spreading uproar on Wednesday when he replied in agreement to a post that accused Jewish communities of pushing hate against white people. Since then, Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskovitz said Musk should resign from every company.
Key stakeholders in Tesla have condemned Musk. The New York Times reported that advertisers are calling X employees about Musk's tweet. IBM, responding to reports that its ads were running alongside antisemitic content on the platform, pulled its advertising.
In additional tweets, Musk renewed his feud with the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit group that fights antisemitism.
"The ADL unjustly attacks the majority of the West, despite the majority of the West supporting the Jewish people and Israel," Musk wrote.
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt condemned Musk's tweet.
"At a time when antisemitism is exploding in America and surging around the world, it is indisputably dangerous to use one's influence to validate and promote antisemitic theories," Greenblatt wrote on X with the hashtag, "NeverIsNow."
A representative for X did not immediately to Insider's request for comment. As Bates alluded to in his statement, the shooter behind the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy about American Jews bringing an invasion of nonwhite immigrants, as Vox previously reported.
The world's richest person has a tenuous relationship with the Biden White House. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden praised Musk for Tesla's EV charging network. Despite early optimism for Biden's presidency, Musk quickly soured on the administration. He later famously encouraged his followers to support Republicans ahead of the 2022 midterms. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared with Musk during an audio chat to formally announce his presidential campaign, though the event was marred by technical issues.
Musk's companies also rely on the government to the tune of billions of dollars. According to the Information, last year alone Musk's SpaceX received $2.8 billion in contracts.