Elon Musk complains about David Duke comparison during disastrous DeSantis 2024 launch event
Due to technical difficulties, a number of people were unable to tune into Gov Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign announcement on Twitter Spaces on Wednesday. But people who were able to tune in were treated to, among other things, Elon Musk complaining about his comparisons to white supremacist David Duke.
“Florida is great state and I think... people realize that the some of the things that have been said are just truly absurd,” Mr Musk said partway through his conversation with Mr DeSantis, moderator David Sacks, and others. “I mean, I saw some headline from The Atlantic basically claiming that anyone who listens to this spaces on Twitter is basically a Nazi.”
Mr Musk was mistaken about the publication that seemingly compared him to a former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. The outlet that made the comparison was Vanity Fair, not The Atlantic, and its headline read “Report: Ron DeSantis Will Formally Announce His 2024 Bid With Elon Musk, Because Apparently David Duke Wasn’t Available.”
The headline was widely criticised in conservative media as over-the-top, though shortly after Mr Musk made multiple antisemetic remarks and after the NAACP issued a travel advisory warning that Florida under Mr DeSantis’ leadership is no longer safe for Black people.
