White House condemns Elon Musk for 'abhorrent promotion' of antisemitism

The White House condemned billionaire Elon Musk on Friday (Nov 17) over the "abhorrent promotion" of antisemitism.

White House spokesman Andrew Bates, referring to a post by Tesla CEO on his social media platform X, where Musk endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory, said that it was "unacceptable" to repeat such a "hideous lie."

"We condemn this abhorrent promotion of anti-semitic and racist hate in the strongest terms, which runs against our core values as Americans," Bates said.

"We all have a responsibility to bring people together against hate, and an obligation to speak out against anyone who attacks the dignity of their fellow Americans and compromises the safety of our communities," he added.

Musk had reacted to an antisemitic post on X saying, "You have said the actual truth".

The original post has been perceived by the White House and the US media as a reference to a longtime conspiracy theory among White supremacists which says that the Jews have this top-secret plan of bringing in illegal immigrants in order to weaken the white majority.

It is pertinent to note that this idea was endorsed by the assailant who opened fire at a synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018 and claimed the lives of at least 11 people.

"It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of antisemitism in American history at any time, let alone one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust," Bates said, referring to the October 7 assault by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel.

(With inputs from agencies)