Billionaire Elon Musk has faced wide-ranging backlash in recent years, particularly since acquiring Twitter, the social media platform he subsequently rebranded X.
His emphasis on free speech has opened him up to allegations, primarily from the left, that the site has become a safe haven for hate speech and even that he himself harbors antisemitic views.
In addition to prominent advertisers abandoning the platform, Musk has even attracted the ire of President Joe Biden, who indicated that the federal government could be used to target him.
Without a hint of irony related to his own family’s sordid international business deals, Biden said last year: “I think that Elon Musk’s cooperation and/or technical relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at. Whether or not he’s doing anything inappropriate, I’m not saying that, but it’s worth being looked at.”
Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr referenced those remarks in a recent X post, noting that his agency is just the latest in a line of federal entities that have conducted probes into Musk’s business practices under the Biden administration.
The post attracted considerable interest — including from Musk’s mother, Maye Musk.
“I am the mother of [Elon Musk],” she wrote. “His goal is to make this world a better place. [Biden] wants to stop him. Have you any idea how furious I am? People in other countries are proud of Elon and do not understand the US President’s motive. Please tell me how I should answer them.”
Her post in turn attracted a slew of supportive replies echoing her assessment that Musk is being unfairly targeted by the White House.
US President’s motive 👇 pic.twitter.com/AIhIcZ1BJF
— 🇺🇸 Pismo 🇺🇸 (@Pismo_B) December 13, 2023
For his part, Carr has spoken out against the perceived partisan attack and voted against the FCC’s recent move to withdraw government subsidies for another Musk-owned company, Starlink, to improve internet connection in rural areas.
In his dissent, he wrote that the commission’s decision to revoke the 2020 award “cannot be explained by any objective application of law, facts, or policy” and “mirrors many of the same missteps that the Biden Administration is making in its implementation of other, multi-billion-dollar infrastructure initiatives.”
