Elon Musk Launches Foul-Mouthed Tirade at Critic Who Calls Him Out for Spreading Disinformation
Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, was called out by a Finnish graduate student and activist, Joni Askola, for allegedly spreading disinformation. In response, Musk launched a foul-mouthed tirade, using a slur against people with mental disabilities and another individual who used the same slur to refer to left-wing activists.
Musk’s outburst on his platform, X, comes after he recently called on his users to post more “positive, beautiful, or informative content.” However, his own behavior has been the opposite, with many of his recent posts containing harmful and offensive language.
An analysis of Musk’s X postings and replies shows that he has used the word “retard” or a variant of it 15 times since December 20, having never used it before that. This is despite his earlier plea for more positivity on the platform.
Musk has also been accused of spreading fake news, including a fake article about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which was viewed nearly 540 million times. France 24 has described him as a “disinformation super-spreader.”
Sources close to Donald Trump, Musk’s long-time friend, suggest that Trump is tired of Musk and his frequent presence in the public eye. Musk has also been criticized for using a slur popularized by far-right figures, including Laura Loomer, who has used the word to attack various targets, including musician Macklemore.