Elon Musk and Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona engaged in a heated on-line alternate on Monday after Musk referred to as the previous Navy pilot a “traitor” for his outspoken assist of Ukraine.
The row started when Mark Kelly posted on social media about his current journey to Ukraine, the place he met with navy members, nurses, and different residents affected by the continued warfare.
Kelly stated his go to reaffirmed his dedication to supporting Ukraine and burdened that any peace cope with Russia should guarantee Ukraine’s safety. He additionally criticised President Donald Trump for making an attempt to weaken Ukraine’s place.
In response, Musk, who has voiced scepticism about continued US assist to Ukraine, fired again on X (previously Twitter), calling Kelly a “traitor.”
Kelly rapidly responded, firing again at Musk: “Traitor? Elon, if you happen to don’t perceive that defending freedom is a primary tenet of what makes America nice and retains us protected, possibly it is best to depart it to these of us who do.” Kelly then continued his remarks, stating, “He’s not a severe man. He ought to return to constructing rockets.”
The Arizona Senator didn’t cease there, later elaborating on his criticism throughout a session with reporters on Capitol Hill.
“He’s slashed and burned the federal authorities to make room for an enormous tax reduce for billionaires like himself. I’ve sworn an oath to this nation, I’ve flown in fight, I served within the Navy for 25 years. It seems to me the oath that Elon Musk stands by is the oath to billionaires to make their lives simpler, not the American individuals, not veterans.”
Kelly’s go to to Ukraine got here after a controversial February 28 assembly within the Oval Workplace between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wherein Trump and Vance chastised Zelenskyy over what they referred to as a scarcity of gratitude for US navy help.
Kelly’s journey was a counterpoint to Trump’s place, stressing that Ukraine’s safety should stay a precedence in any peace negotiations.
Musk’s feedback on Ukraine should not new. In 2023, the billionaire confronted backlash after reportedly stopping a Ukrainian assault on Russia’s naval fleet. Musk has additionally instructed, by polls on social media, that Ukraine ought to take into account giving up Crimea as a part of a peace cope with Russia, a stance that has drawn widespread criticism.
This newest alternate is just the newest in a sequence of public spats between Kelly and Musk, highlighting the continued divide in American politics over the warfare in Ukraine. Whereas Kelly and different Democrats have voiced assist for continued navy help to Ukraine, Musk has referred to as for a reevaluation of US involvement within the battle.