Backlash Spreads Over Elon Musk’s Endorsement of Antisemitic Post
Outcry over unchecked antisemitic content and commentary on social media site X, some of it endorsed by the platform's owner Elon Musk, reached a tipping point on Friday, with large advertisers such as Apple Inc. pulling ads and the White House chastising the billionaire.
Musk, who regularly engages with antisemitic users on X, agreed with a post that said Jewish people hold a “dialectical hatred” of white people. “You have said the actual truth,” Musk responded.
The White House called Musk's reply an “unacceptable” act that endangers Jewish communities. Meanwhile, several Tesla Inc. shareholders also spoke out against Musk, who is the chief executive officer of the electric car maker, with some saying he should be suspended from his post.
Americans have “an obligation to speak out against anyone who attacks the dignity of their fellow Americans and compromises the safety of our communities,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement on Friday. Musk's companies, including Space Exploration Technologies Corp., hold several government contracts.
Musk's remarks added to backlash sparked by a report released Thursday from Media Matters which said ads for Apple, International Business Machines Corp., Oracle Corp., Comcast Corp.'s Xfinity brand and the Bravo television network ran on X next to pro-Nazi content. IBM said it will stop advertising on X until the situation is resolved. The European Commission and Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. also said they would pull ads on X.
Walt Disney Co. said it was pausing spending on X, Paramount Global announced it was suspending all advertising, while CNBC reported Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. has halted its ad campaigns on the platform. Comcast Corp., owner of the
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