Elon Musk has declared that “hateful, unrepentant racists” should be removed from the Republican Party “root and stem” as the in-party feud over H-1B visas intensifies.
Conversations around H-1B visas have divided Donald Trump’s party, with his Department of Government Efficiency heads Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on one side and other allies like Laura Loomer on the other. The Space X founder escalated the feud on Friday night when he called for some “contemptible fools” in the GOP to be removed.
Musk made the statement in response to a post on X by Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden’s director of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council.
“I am an Indian American who was born here and it’s crystal clear that the Democratic Party sees me as American and a large part of the base of the Republican Party does not. I hope Indian Americans remember this moment at the next election. They don’t see you as one of them. And never will,” she wrote.
“You thought they just hated other immigrants. But it turns out there’s no exception for you. As many of us have been telling you,” Tanden continued.
Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, chimed in, saying MAGA Republicans are now “taking a page from Democrats on how to lose elections while feeling good about themselves.”
The X owner agreed, writing: “Yes. And those contemptible fools must be removed from the Republican Party, root and stem.”
Musk clarified in a follow-up post that when he said “contemptible fools,” he was referring to “those in the Republican Party who are hateful, unrepentant racists.” He added: “They will absolutely be the downfall of the Republican Party if they are not removed.”
Trump’s “best buddy” took the dispute to the next level. He and Ramaswamy have defended the need for immigrant workers in the tech industry while Laura Loomer has slammed the visa program and instead touted the “America First” agenda. “Donald Trump promised to remove the H1B visa program and I support his policy,” she wrote on X on Thursday.
She also accused Musk of removing her blue checkmark on X, the social platform he owns.
The tech billionaire condemned “racists” — despite promoting other anti-immigration and racist ideology.
Last year, he defended Adams after the Dilbert creator described Black Americans as a “hate group” and urged white Americans to “get the hell away from” them.
He offered support for Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party — a far-right group that espouses hateful rhetoric about immigrants — claiming “only the AfD can save Germany.”
Musk also shared a post in August by Tommy Robinson, a far-right activist in the UK who was sentenced to 18 months behind bars for admitting contempt of court by repeating false claims against a Syrian refugee.
He has also promoted the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, which suggests that white Americans are deliberately being replaced by minority groups and immigrants.