DeSantis will not condemn Musk for endorsing an anti-Semitic post. “I didn’t see the commentary,” he says.
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Republican Party nominee for president Ron DeSantis He refuses to convict Elon Musk Post supports anti-Semitic conspiracy theory, confirming on Sunday that he was not aware of the post though Which prompted major companies to withdraw advertising From Billionaire X’s social media platform.
“I didn’t see the comment,” DeSantis, Florida’s governor, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “So, I know Elon has had a target on his back since he bought Twitter because I think he’s taking it in a direction that a lot of people who are used to controlling the narrative don’t like.”
Musk caused a stir with a recent tweet in response to a user who accused Jews of hating white people and declaring general indifference to anti-Semitism. “I told the truth” Musk tweeted in response Wednesday.
IBM, Disney and other major advertisers have since withdrawn funding From Xa big blow to the platform formerly known as Twitter is trying to win back big brands And their advertising dollars, which constitute their main source of income.
DeSantis He announced his candidacy for president on Musk’s platformHowever Some research It appears to have become a haven for hate speech since the billionaire took over the company last year. “State of the Union” showed Musk’s post on screen and host Jake Tapper read it to DeSantis before pressing him to convict him — but the governor continued to object.
“I know you tried to read it. I have no idea what the context is,” said DeSantis, who was joining the show via video. “I know Elon Musk. I’ve never seen him do anything. I think he’s a man who believes in America. I never saw him indulge in any of that. So it’s surprising, if this is true, but I haven’t seen it. So I don’t want to sit there and make quick judgments.”
The governor also said he opposes anti-Semitism “across the board,” regardless of whether it comes from the right or left of the ideological spectrum.
“It’s wrong no matter what,” DeSantis said.
The post sparked criticism from the White House, with spokesman Andrew Bates saying last week: “It is unacceptable that the hidden lie behind the deadliest act of anti-Semitism in American history be repeated at any time, even just one month after the deadliest day.” For the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”
which he referred to Hamas’ deadly attack on IsraelWhich happened on October 7th.
Appearing on Tapper’s show in person immediately after DeSantis, Maryland Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin He said it was unreasonable to think that someone running for president hadn’t seen Musk’s post: “This is four days later and he hasn’t had a chance to read what Elon Musk wrote?”
“It’s very hard for me to believe that,” Raskin said. “Anyway, I showed him that, and he still refuses to convict me.”
“If you are serious about condemning and confronting anti-Semitism, racism and these bigotry, which are the gateways to the destruction of liberal democracy, then you must be frank, open and clear about this,” Raskin added. “Go condemn anti-Semitism and racism across the board.”
Raskin himself called the post “outrageous and dangerous,” and suggested that he and other members of the House of Representatives planned to write to Musk to demand that he retract those comments and correct his actions.
