Tesla CEO and ally to President Donald Trump Elon Musk was dogpiled Wednesday after complaining about immigrants voting in American elections, with many critics pointing to the billionaires’ own status as an immigrant of apartheid South Africa.
“Isn't this freak an immigrant from South Africa who overstayed his visa and has taken billions of dollars from the government?” wrote Wajahat Ali, a journalist who runs The Left Hook Substack, in a social media post on X Tuesday night.
Musk did, in fact, immigrate to the United States from South Africa – and did so illegally, according to The Washington Post, which reported that he entered on a student visa but never enrolled in school.
Musk’s remarks were made during an appearance on “The Katie Miller Podcast,” a podcast hosted by the wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Published Tuesday, the interview shows Musk warning that the United States could turn into a “communist hell” should immigration trends continue, which he argued have shaped several elections.
Given Musk’s enormous influence on the 2024 election, where he spent more than $275 million backing Trump, critics couldn’t help but be stunned by the irony of Musk’s complaints.
“Elon Musk, a South African immigrant born in Africa who votes in Texas, is annoyed that Somali immigrants born in Africa get to vote in Minnesota,” wrote former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan in a social media post on X. “There's only one thing he doesn't have in common with his fellow African immigrants in Minnesota… Elon Musk, according to his brother Kimbal, came to this country as an ‘illegal’ immigrant.”
Others, like Smajo Bešo, a Bosnian author living in the United Kingdom, were simply baffled with Musk’s remarks.
Ilhan Omar came to this country legally, as a refugee, and as a child.
Elon Musk, according to his brother Kimbal, came to this country as an "illegal" immigrant.https://t.co/8pyHpe78RXhttps://t.co/kWqCDf9dxH
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) December 10, 2025