Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of SpaceX and Tesla, recently posted a picture of Hitler on his social media. The mogul used the picture to compare the murderous dictator to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Musk, who claims solidarity with the Canadian truckers currently protesting COVID-19 protection measures at the border, made the controversial Hitler tweet on Tuesday. A few days later, the tweet was still visible on his feed.
The backlash against his antisemitic Hitler tweet was swift and forceful. Not only did individuals condemn the post, but major national and international Jewish organizations did as well.
Jewish groups respond
“[Musk] has exercised extremely poor judgment by invoking Hitler to make a point on social media. Comparing Trudeau to a genocidal dictator who murdered millions is not an appropriate way to criticize policies. He must apologize immediately,” the American Jewish Committee wrote.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau museum, located at the site of where nearly one million Jewish people were murdered, confirmed the meme “disrespects the memory of all victims, and hurts many people.”
Musk, who eventually took down the Hitler tweet without explanation, did share another tweet referencing the original post. The second tweet encouraged his supporters to read a book about the economics of Germany during the Holocaust under Hitler.
Musk courts controversy
Musk has expressed support for the Canadian truckers who are currently protesting against their government over vaccine mandates. However, the protest has also empowered alt-right political pundits and hate groups as well. Confederate flags have been spotted at the Canadian protest.
Musk’s specific grievances include Trudeau’s insistence that cryptocurrency organizations remove their support for the truckers. The mogul has also expressed his disgust over mask and vaccine mandates.
This isn’t the first time Musk has courted controversy through his social media. He previously expressed support for Joe Rogan, whose podcast has come under fire for spreading COVID-19 disinformation and a history of racial slurs.
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