POLITICS NEWS – (VIDEO) Elon Musk agrees with tweet calling American workers too “retarded” to perform high tech jobs

Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter), sparked controversy after allegedly liking and replying to a tweet that referred to American workers as too “retarded” to perform essential jobs that immigrant workers on H-1B visas come to the U.S. and perform. Musk replied, “That pretty much sums it up,” further fueling division among far-right factions of the MAGA Republican Party.

This incident followed Musk’s defense of an employee accused of making anti-white comments, exacerbating tensions surrounding his views on the U.S. workforce and immigration policies.

Musk has used the “R” word in the past as recent as December 8, when he tweeted on X, “Explaining to heads of state that I play video games for fun is not easy. They look at me like I’m either joking, retarded or both.”

The original tweet this week came from the account Autism Capital, described as “Citizen journalism with a humorous flair,” focusing on fintech, crypto, AI, and politics. While the account has no formal platform, its tweet has drawn negative attention. The Special Olympics, a global leader in eradicating language targeting disabled people, has yet to comment. Tim Shriver, the organization’s chairman, has historically advocated for inclusive language and practices and a ban on the use of the “R” word.