‘Empathy is not weakness’: Kamala Harris slams Elon Musk over claim empathy makes the West ‘weak’

Former US Vice President Kamala Harris has taken aim at Elon Musk for saying that empathy is a weakness of Western civilisation. Speaking at a real estate event in Australia, Harris criticised the idea, arguing that empathy is actually a sign of strong leadership.

“There was someone that is very popular these days, at least in the press, who suggested that it is a sign of weakness of Western civilizations to have empathy,” Harris told the audience.

Though she didn’t mention Musk by name, the remarks were clearly in response to comments the Tesla CEO made during a March appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast.

Musk called empathy a 'bug' in Western society

During that podcast, Musk, who also heads the government’s Department of Efficiency (DOGE), told Rogan, “The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy, the empathy exploit.”

He added, “They’re exploiting a bug in Western civilization, which is the empathy response.”

The remarks stirred backlash at the time, and Harris's comments have now brought renewed attention to Musk’s views.

‘Concern for others is not weakness,’ says Harris

Slamming what she called a “misplaced idea” of leadership, Harris said, “The sign of the strength of a leader is not who you beat down.”

Instead, she said, “It is a sign of strength to have some level of curiosity and concern and care about the well-being of others.”

Harris’s words were met with applause at the conference and seen as a strong rebuttal to Musk’s growing influence in US politics.

Warnings about global rise of extremism

During the same speech, Harris also voiced concern over growing authoritarianism across the globe.

“I do worry, frankly, about what’s happening in the world right now,” she said. “It’s important that we remember the 1930s. It’s important that we remember that history has taught us that isolation does not equal insulation [and] the importance of relationships of trust, of the importance of friendships, integrity, honesty.”

Since taking over DOGE under President Donald Trump’s administration, Musk has been accused of making controversial gestures and posts seen by many as dog whistles for white supremacists.

These include a gesture at Trump’s inauguration that resembled a “Roman salute”, followed by social media posts playing on names of Nazi figures.