MAGA tech billionaire Elon Musk was fact-checked during an interview, and online critics reacted by piling on humiliation.
During an interview with The Economist, a British news outlet, Musk faced scrutiny of his X posts as an interviewer explained how he mischaracterized the United Kingdom.
"You have close to 250 million followers on X. You say things like 'civil war in Britain is inevitable. Just a question of when.'" The interviewer pointed out before asking Musk when he last came to the UK. Musk said it had been "a few years ago."
"Exactly. I live there. That is nonsense," the interviewer said. "The numbers also disprove what you say. London is a much safer city than any city in the U.S. You have painted Europe and the UK as overrun with terrifying Muslim immigrants."
Online commentators followed suit and went after Musk in their reactions on his own platform, X.
"This man is a moron and a liar," progressive political commentator Wajahat Ali wrote. "It's sad you chuds worship him."
"This is what he does," posted tech and political analyst Jim Stewartson. "He goes off for months about a Black actress, sends ICE after Somalis in Minneapolis, and literally organizes violence with fascist Tommy Robinson in the UK —and then denies it. Same thing as his salute."
"Elon Musk accuses someone else of living in a 'cloistered existence,'" commented political podcaster Tommy Vietor.
"E M is one of those ultra-wealthy persons who, involving themselves in what might be called incendiary politics," author Joyce Carol Oates posted. "I.E. the gleeful poking & goading of others to divisive violence in which they would not personally participate."