Musk Against the World (Except Trump)

Lately it’s been bad news for the world’s richest man.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, Space X, and X, as well as the unelected head of US President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), didn’t earn many new friends this week when he called Democratic Senator Mark Kelly a “traitor” after the former US Navy pilot and astronaut visited Ukraine.

Then, Musk faced a massive cyber-attack on his social network, X, which the multi-billionaire blamed on Ukrainian hackers – despite a pro-Palestinian hacker group claiming credit for the attack.

Then stock in Musk’s car brand, Tesla, plummeted.

But at least one man, US President Donald Trump, showed his support for Musk.

Musk’s clash with Senator Kelly

Musk called Senator Kelly a “traitor” on X after Kelly shared details of his visit to Ukraine over the weekend.

Posting photos from his trip, Kelly wrote: “Everyone wants this war to end, but any agreement has to protect Ukraine’s security and can’t be a giveaway to Putin.”

Musk replied directly: “You are a traitor.”

Kelly shot back: “Traitor? Elon, if you don’t understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do.”

Speaking to reporters, Kelly, a former US Navy pilot and astronaut, dismissed Musk as “not a serious guy” who should “go back to building rockets,” as per ABC News.

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“We have a big meeting with Russia tomorrow,” US President says, adding that Zelensky is welcome to come back to the White House.

He criticized Musk’s claim of cutting wasteful government spending to fund new tax breaks for billionaires saying:

“I’ve sworn an oath to this country. I’ve flown in combat. I’ve served in the Navy for 25 years. It appears to me the oath that Elon Musk stands by is the oath to billionaires – make their lives easier, not the American people, not veterans. I mean, he’s firing workers at VA hospitals.”

Kelly described his visit to Ukraine as “emotional” and emphasized the country’s urgent need for military aid.

He said that the situation was “existential” for Ukrainians, adding, “Over the past week or so, we’ve [Americans] made it harder for them.”

“If they don’t get the munitions that are sitting on the other side of the border, more Ukrainians will die,” Kelly said.

Kelly and Musk have clashed before. Last month, after Musk insulted Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen, calling him “an idiot,” Kelly and his brother Scott Kelly, also an astronaut, pushed back.

“Hey, Elon Musk, when you finally get the nerve to climb into a rocket ship, come talk to the three of us,” Kelly wrote.

Congressman mocks tech magnate: ‘Elon holds no cards’

Moreover, Musk blamed actors in Ukraine for a major cyberattack on Monday, March 10, that left thousands unable to access X, including Kyiv Post’s North America-based correspondent.

Musk claimed a “large, coordinated group and/or a country” was behind the attack on X, calling it a well-resourced operation. The company reported at least three major outages.

Speaking to Fox News on Monday, he said: “We’re not sure exactly what happened, but there was a massive cyberattack to try to bring down the X system with IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area.”

Meanwhile, Newsweek reported that pro-Palestinian hacker group Dark Storm Team had claimed responsibility for a DDoS attack on the platform.

The outlet reported that the group primarily targets entities supporting Israel’s actions in Gaza following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

Following Musk’s latest accusations against Ukraine, Republican Congressman Jack Kimble mocked Musk on X, writing:

“If Ukraine did attack Twitter as Elon Musk said, this is very serious. I invite Ukraine to conduct negotiations with me so we can bring peace to Twitter.”

He continued: “Unfortunately, Elon holds no cards and doesn’t own a suit, so we expect Elon will have to give up a lot.”

Trump to Musk: ‘A great American’

Notably, US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, March 11, that he’d buy a “brand new Tesla” to support Musk, who is “putting it on the line” to help the country.

The tech mogul lost an estimated $18 billion on Monday as Tesla shares plunged 14% amid a rough day for US markets, driven by Trump’s push for tariffs on key trading partners.

“In any event, I’m going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American,” Trump wrote.

In a Truth Social post, Trump accused “Radical Left Lunatics” of trying to “illegally and collusively boycott Tesla” to harm Musk and his values.

“Why should he be punished for putting his tremendous skills to work in order to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN???” Trump wrote.

As per the Daily Mail, Musk has faced backlash for mass federal layoffs. Protests have erupted across the US and abroad, with some turning violent – Tesla showrooms have reportedly been attacked with gunshots and Molotov cocktails.

Tesla’s stock has dropped 45% since its $1.5 trillion peak, erasing post-election gains after Musk helped finance Trump’s victory.

European sales also fell 45% in January, while Tesla’s electric car competitors surged 37%.

This would be Trump’s second Tesla, after YouTuber Adin Ross gifted him a Cybertruck wrapped with an image of Trump celebrating his survival following an assassination attempt.