Tesla and SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has stirred up social media platform X with his latest comments on the potential outcome of next week's U.S. general election. Musk alluded to a 69.420% Trump victory amid backlash over President Joe Biden's trash talk.
Elon Musk's social media post comes after Doge Designer said Republican candidate Donald Trump is leading the polls with 67.0% compared to Democratic candidate Kamal Harris, who has 33.2% support.
Backlash from Republicans
The incident comes as President Joe Biden faces intense criticism after he was accused of calling Donald Trump supporters "trash" following an incident at a Trump rally that featured comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.
During the rally, Hinchcliffe allegedly called Puerto Rico “an island of shit,” to which Biden reportedly responded that “the only shit I see floating around out there is his supporters.” The statement immediately sparked backlash from Republican figures.
Trump responded by claiming that Biden's statements showed Kamala Harris and Biden were unfit to lead the American people because no one can lead people they don't love. Following the controversy, Biden's White House team sought to clear things up by clarifying the President's remarks.
A White House official released a transcript showing Biden’s unflattering remarks were directed at Hinchcliffe’s insults, not Trump supporters. On his X page, Biden himself explained his comments, saying, “Hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico is ‘trash’ that does not reflect American values.”
Crude and racist jokes in campaigns
Elon Musk's post has garnered significant attention as Donald Trump and his allies continue to use inflammatory language in the final days of the campaign. According to some reports, Trump has been accused of repeatedly mocking his rival Kamala Harris, and was quoted as calling her "mentally retarded" at one point.
Trump was also accused of calling CNN reporter Anderson Cooper a female name, which has been used to suggest that gay men are effeminate. A series of vulgar and racist jokes were also allegedly used at Trump's latest rally at Madison Square Garden, where Hinchliffe created a "floating trash island."
Backlash after Biden's absurd statement
As a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, Elon Musk appears to be playing a pivotal role in the current election cycle, where Democrats are looking for any opportunity to turn support into weakness. A pro-Kamala Harris campaign led by Future Forward USA Action recently produced ads that have had the highest rotation of any ad on screens in swing states so far in October.
According to ad tracker AdImpact, the ads capitalized on Trump's ties to Elon Musk and other wealthy donors. Both Trump and Musk were quoted separately calling Kamala Harris "Comrade Kamala," implying that she would likely embrace socialist policies if elected president in next week's election.
One of the ads features a shot of Elon Musk quoting a tuxedo-clad Pennsylvania voter, saying, “The 1% serve no one but themselves.” Anti-Elon Musk sentiment has been on the rise in the ongoing campaign, with some evidence suggesting Musk’s popularity has some limits among undecided voters. The team behind those ads has burned the midnight oil, with multiple Musk-centric ads reportedly costing more than $100 million as the campaign nears its final stretch.
Conclusion
The ongoing controversy surrounding Elon Musk's tweet, a prominent Bitcoin holder, and comments surrounding Biden's baseless statement highlight how apparently random statements are being used to shape the political narrative in addition to fueling online discussions days before next week's election.
Tensions remain high between the opposing sides even as supporters use social media to amplify every claim and supporters use such moments to try to win over any voters who might be on their side in this fiercely contested presidential race.
