here is no question that Elon Musk, along with his wealth, influence and innovations has made an impact not only on the United States but the world. From Tesla, Musk’s breakthrough mass-marketed electric car to his brain implant Neuralink Musk has been at the forefront of new ideas in the 21st century. But Musk hasn’t been without controversy. Tesla sales have been declining, and some members of Musk’s circle have been pointing the finger at the company’s founder. Since he bought Twitter and turned it into X, the user base of Musk’s social media platform has lost an estimated 7 million users. Starlink, the satellite internet company also owned by Musk has been accused of providing the service to the Russians in their war against Ukraine. And, as well received as Neuralink has been in helping people with paralysis, the company has also been controversial as TrialSite has reported. There have been numerous accusations and investigations by the federal government over rumors of animal cruelty as well as from the Department of Transportation over U.S. rules for transport of hazardous materials. Regardless of his innovation, Musk’s presence has been a source of controversy and disruption, and this is apparently happening in the billionaire’s influence on the Republican party and the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
Clash Over Immigration
One of the main reasons Donald Trump was elected was because of his stance on immigration. The President-Elect wants to have mass deportation of “illegal aliens” and close the border to new immigrants. But Elon Musk has now advocated for HI-B visas which allow companies to bring foreign workers into the United States who have specific qualifications. It is a well-known strategy employed by many of the largest companies for qualified tech workers. This appears to be specifically geared toward the Silicon Valley billionaires and Musk’s “tech bros,” who believe elite engineering degrees from abroad are necessary to keep America moving forward. Musk himself received a HI-B visa since he’s originally from South Africa.
Musk escalated the other day by referring to some MAGA followers as “contemptable fools”.
This has now divided Republicans, with Vivek Ramaswamy, Musk’s partner in cleaning up government waste, backing the Tesla founder. Ramasamy posted, “A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math Olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers, we’ll have our asses handed to us by China.” The allegation that America’s increasingly shallow narcissistic culture doesn’t lead to the best outcomes.
For longtime allies of Trump, Silicon Valley’s billionaires inserting themselves into Republican politics isn’t going over well. “We welcomed the tech bros when they came running our way to avoid the 3rd-grade teacher picking their kid’s gender and the obvious Biden/Harris economic decline”, said Matt Gaetz, Trump’s former nominee for Attorney General. “We did not ask them about engineer and immigration policy”.
Scorn Of American Right Winger-Endorses German Extremist Party
Musk has drawn the ire of former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, who called the billionaire a “toddler” after Musk posted a statement saying opponents of his proposal for H1-B visas should F***K YOURSELF in the face”. Musk claims the visa is the reason he’s in the United States along with several talented people who used the HI-B method of entering the country. But Musk also endorsed the German AfD party in an editorial in a German newspaper. The AfD has been classified by some as akin to the Nazis, and most folks in the center in Germany would be quite leery.
Manages Depression with Ketamine
Reportedly, Musk has told friends he suffers from depression and manages the disease with the drug Ketamine. The drug is referred to as a “dissociative anesthetic hallucinogen” because it makes patients feel detached from their pain and environment. It is a short-acting injectable anesthetic and can be used as a nasal spray to combat depression. Ketamine is also known as a party drug and can be abused.
The issue, however, is whether Musk’s behavior is reliable enough to be a voice in the new administration. As TrialSite founder, Daniel O’Conner wrote in a recent editorial, “Despite his contributions, Musk’s deep ties to China and his growing political influence in the U.S. government pose troubling questions about serious conflicts of interest. This growing conflict could very well lead to disastrous results.” This doesn’t diminish Musk’s contributions to the medical industry through Neuralink and his next project Blindsight. But is the Tesla Billionaire equipped to handle government?
Laura Loomer
The question is will the MAGA folks standing against H1B visas get in Trump’s way? Most likely not, but they will make a lot of noise. Trump supporter and staunch anti-Islamist Laura Loomer has already railed on Musk’s support of the H1B visa program. Loomer claims Musk removed her blue check and banned her from the social media program X for 12 hours. Loomer also questioned Musk’s relationship with China. Loomer had been banned from Twitter for her anti-Muslim views, but Musk put her back on after he turned the platform into X.
“Looks like Elon Musk is going to be silencing me for supporting original Trump immigration policies,” she wrote. “I have always been America First and a die-hard supporter of President Trump, and I believe that promises made should be promises kept. Donald Trump promised to remove the H1B visa program, and I support his policy. Now, as one of Trump’s biggest supporters, I’m having my free speech silenced by a tech billionaire for simply questioning the tech oligarchy.” Reportedly, other far-right activists have had their blue checks taken away on X for going against Musk’s support for the H1B visa.
H1B Workers
Reportedly, H1B workers, who are temporary, add to the U.S. economy by creating new job opportunities for American workers because of the skill sets of the H1B workers. The feeling is the imported workers fill a need in the American economy with their knowledge in science, technology and mathematics.
Loomer, however, responds to this claim by claiming most of the workers using the H1B visas were from India and are people with lower intelligence. What is glaringly apparent is, even though Trump has come out and said he supports the H1B program, the new fissure in the MAGA movement may be difficult to repair.
