Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk—a figure whose public persona has long been linked to the use of his platform, X (formerly Twitter), as a megaphone for divisive rhetoric—has again ignited controversy through a series of posts that amplify and endorse xenophobic and antisemitic narratives. Over the course of a single day, Musk devoted significant attention to reposting, supporting, and even lauding inflammatory claims suggesting that so-called “White people” face imminent extinction, that Somali immigrants purportedly possess “no rightful place” in the United States, and that nonprofit organizations engaged in assisting these communities are traitorous actors who “deserve to be confronted with force.” His recent online activity, marked by a pattern of amplifying extremist talking points, underscores the deep entanglement of social media with the broader currents of cultural polarization and misinformation.
Throughout this campaign of posts, Musk engaged directly with content created by other accounts known for far-right or conspiratorial views. He repeatedly quoted or reposted their statements, often punctuating his endorsements with succinct affirmations such as “true” or “simply a fact.” Several of these posts touched upon the ongoing investigation launched during the Trump administration into alleged fraud involving public assistance programs in Minnesota—a probe that has, in part, implicated members of Minnesota’s large and diverse Somali American community. Musk’s curated reposts delved further, spotlighting a case involving a Somali immigrant convicted earlier in the year for sexual assault, alongside additional examples of crimes committed by individuals who were, or who were described as, immigrants. In doing so, his selections appeared calculated to reinforce a narrative linking immigration to criminality and cultural decay.
Among the accounts Musk elevated was that of British far-right figure Tommy Robinson, whom Musk had personally reinstated to the X platform after Robinson’s 2018 ban for what the company then categorized as “hateful conduct.” Robinson’s reposted message claimed that non-governmental organizations in Minnesota were receiving $2,375 for every Somali immigrant admitted into the United States, a statement referencing a one‑time federal resettlement payment intended to cover essential needs such as nourishment and basic household items. Robinson concluded that “this is treason and should be met with force,” language that starkly exemplifies the openly violent tones circulating through the online discourse Musk now enables. Another influential account, Wall Street Apes—with a following exceeding 1.2 million—asserted that Somalis have “no right to be in America,” adding that their cultural traditions allegedly prevent integration into American society. The post also cited an anecdotal video by another social media user who claimed to have been rear-ended in traffic by an immigrant, an example of how isolated incidents are often weaponized to stoke collective resentment.
Musk himself did not merely act as an amplifier of other people’s voices; he contributed original commentary that extended, and at times intensified, these narratives. Drawing attention to demographic concerns, he warned of a perceived decline in white birthrates, contending that, if present trends persist, “White people” would become a minority globally and might “eventually cease to exist.” This statement, shared on December 2nd, echoed the contours of the so‑called “great replacement” theory—a widely discredited conspiracy suggesting that immigration policies are being orchestrated by liberal and Jewish elites to displace white populations and secure perpetual political dominance for Democrats. Reinforcing this point, Musk reiterated his belief that immigration serves as part of a deliberate political strategy by the “far left,” asserting that “imported voters” have allowed Democrats to seize power. He even quoted a post falsely alleging that Representative Ilhan Omar, a Somali-born Democrat from Minnesota, was “not elected by Americans,” thereby blending misinformation with ethnic hostility.
In tandem with these racialized and conspiratorial assertions, Musk also employed his X feed to project solidarity with former President Donald Trump. Despite a relationship historically characterized by fluctuating cooperation and public feuds, Musk’s recent activity has aligned him more closely with Trump’s current nationalist messaging. He shared a December 2nd video clip in which Trump praised him—stating, “I like Elon a lot” and “I think we get along well”—as well as separate footage featuring Trump advisor Stephen Miller, a principal architect of the administration’s restrictionist immigration policies. Musk’s timing was notable: only days earlier, Trump had declared that Somali immigrants “contribute nothing” and “should not be in our country,” comments that resonated with and appeared to bolster the same exclusionary logic permeating Musk’s posts.
In earlier years, remarks of this nature from the owner of a major social media platform might have triggered immediate backlash from advertisers and corporate partners anxious to protect their reputations. Indeed, the record shows that in 2023, companies such as IBM and Apple withdrew their advertisements from X following Musk’s public approval of a far-right user’s appeals for “white pride,” as well as his endorsement of statements described as antisemitic and anti-immigrant. Yet Musk responded not with contrition but with defiance, initiating what was widely described as a campaign of legal intimidation aimed at organizations that sought to penalize or disengage from his platform. Meanwhile, reports indicated that allies from the Trump administration intervened to create regulatory and contractual conditions that would make corporations hesitant to abandon platforms like X. By early 2024, an advertising executive told The Wall Street Journal that brands had become “afraid of the legal and political ramifications” associated with withdrawing their business from Musk’s company—a testament to how leverage, influence, and state‑level alliances can reshape the boundaries of accountability in the digital advertising landscape.
Taken as a whole, this sequence of events illuminates the breadth of Musk’s transformation from technology innovator to political instigator. His embrace of extremist narratives has not only amplified marginalized and dangerous ideologies but also demonstrated the power of digital elites to dictate public discourse in ways that reverberate far beyond their personal screens. What once might have seemed like isolated outbursts have evolved into a persistent campaign of cultural agitation—one that enlists misinformation, racial resentment, and institutional pressure to fortify an alternate, grievance-driven vision of the online public sphere.
Sourse: https://www.theverge.com/news/837423/elon-musk-x-racist-posts-minnesota
