Elon Musk’s Anti-Semitic Comments Trigger White House Move to Meta’s Thread
White House creates an official account on Thread
New York City issued a warning with 1 billion shares of Buddha
The fallout from Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s anti-Semitic remarks is spreading. Following the cessation of advertisements on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, which Musk owns, even the White House has sought a competing platform. From small shareholders in Tesla to the city of New York, many are demanding Musk’s integrity. Musk has attempted to defuse the situation by pledging to donate the advertising revenue from X to hospitals in Israel and relief efforts in the Gaza Strip. However, critics argue that it is insufficient to retract the comments he has already made.
|
On the 21st (local time), the U.S. White House opened an official account on the social media thread created by Meta. The platform also made accounts for President Joe Biden and his wife, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband—the Biden presidential campaign plans to create a personal account for the president on the Thread.
The White House has stated that it has no plans to close its existing X account. However, foreign media have suggested that Musk’s support for anti-Semitic comments played a decisive role in the ‘migration’ to the Thread. On the 15th, Musk responded to a post on X by a user who claimed that the Jewish community is promoting dialectical hatred against whites while demanding an end to hatred against themselves, saying, “They speak the truth.” In response, White House Deputy Spokesperson Andrew Bates condemned this “despicable act of inciting anti-Semitism and racist hatred in the strongest terms” on X.
Companies like Apple and Disney have cut off advertising on X in response to Musk’s comments. The fallout has even reached Tesla, which Musk leads. The day before, small shareholders of Tesla called on the board to replace Musk. Following this, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander sent a letter to the Tesla board stating, “Supervision and action are needed against Musk.” In his letter, Comptroller Lander expressed deep concern that “Musk’s hateful comments will have a significant negative impact on Tesla’s reputation and finances” and argued that “while Musk is free to express his opinions, the board must ensure that such opinions do not harm the company.” As of the end of September, the New York City pension system held $946 million in Tesla stock.
Amid the onslaught from politicians and shareholders, Musk appears to be backing down. On the previous day, Musk posted on his X account, “Hundreds of tabloid articles claiming that I am anti-Semitic are far from the truth,” and “I only wish for the best for humanity, prosperity, and a bright future for all.” He also announced on the same day, “We will donate all X advertising and subscription revenue related to the Gaza war to hospitals in Israel and the Red Crescent in Gaza.”
By. Yoon Min Hyuk
Most Commented