'The actual truth': White House slams Elon Musk for antisemitic lies

This week, Elon Musk, the world's richest person, sparked an outcry after endorsing as "the actual truth" an antisemitic post on X that falsely accused Jews of hating white people.

In the post, Musk confirmed as “the actual truth”, it was claimed that “Jewish communties have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them. [SIC]

“I'm deeply disinterested in giving the tiniest shit now about western Jewish populations coming to the disturbing realization that those hordes of minorities that support flooding their country don't exactly like them too much.

“You want truth said to your face, there it is.”

You have said the actual truth

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 15, 2023

In a later X post made on November 16, Musk wrote on x that “The ADL unjustly attacks the majority of the West, despite the majority of the West supporting the Jewish people and Israel. This is because they cannot, by their own tenets, criticize the minority groups who are their primary threat. It is not right and needs to stop.”

The ADL unjustly attacks the majority of the West, despite the majority of the West supporting the Jewish people and Israel. This is because they cannot, by their own tenets, criticize the minority groups who are their primary threat.It is not right and needs to stop.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 15, 2023

“And, at the risk of being repetitive, I am deeply offended by ADL’s messaging and any other groups who push de facto anti-white racism or anti-Asian racism or racism of any kind.”

And, at the risk of being repetitive, I am deeply offended by ADL’s messaging and any other groups who push de facto anti-white racism or anti-Asian racism or racism of any kind.I’m sick of it. Stop now.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 15, 2023

Gary Mond, Chairman of the National Jewish Assembly (UK) told the Jerusalem Post "In my view, the biggest problem with what Musk has been saying is that there appears to be a complete lack of examples or evidence to back up his comments.

"It is also important to differentiate between, on the one hand, the attitudes of Jews in general, the overwhelming majority of whom do not aim any criticism whatsoever against anyone except the Jew-haters, and on the other hand Jewish communal organisations, whose leaderships frequently have left-wing tendencies and refuse to take threats from minorities, such as fundamentalist Islamists, seriously."

Musk’s post has already been celebrated as a win by neo-Nazis. Gab, a platform used by the far-right, and who’s CEO Andrew Torba is openly antisemitic, wrote on X “We’ve successfully red pilled Elon Musk on the JQ. Good job lads.

We’ve successfully red pilled Elon Musk on the JQ. Good job lads. pic.twitter.com/KhXI4yAkHG

— Gab.com (@JoinGabNow) November 15, 2023

Free speech vs. hate speech

"It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of Antisemitism in American history at any time, let alone one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust," White House spokesman Andrew Bates said on Friday, in response to a Musk post.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), condemned Musk’s comments writing that “At a time when antisemitism is exploding in America and surging around the world, it is indisputably dangerous to use one's influence to validate and promote antisemitic theories. #NeverIsNow”

At a time when antisemitism is exploding in America and surging around the world, it is indisputably dangerous to use one's influence to validate and promote antisemitic theories. #NeverIsNow pic.twitter.com/vVlyOeoS5x

— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) November 16, 2023

Musk in legal trouble

Musk had a very public conflict with Greenblatt and the ADL only a few months ago, where he threatened to sue both for encouraging advertisers to move off the platform until X dealt with the abundance of antisemitism on the platform.

X is now being sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate after X accused it of trying to drive advertisers away through a "scare campaign" showing hate speech and other harmful content appeared to be overwhelming the platform.

According to the complaint, X lost tens of millions of dollars of ad revenue from "false and misleading" research reports that the center issued to create an "ideological echo chamber" for its preferred views.

In a Thursday night filing in San Francisco federal court, the Center for Countering Digital Hate said X made up claims about how it gathered data from the platform, with each theory "flimsier and more absurd than the last."

The nonprofit also called the "ridiculous" and "baseless" lawsuit an attempt to silence others who say things X may not like. It also denied X's claim that commercial rivals and perhaps even foreign governments were funding its activities.

Since buying Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022, Musk has faced much criticism for firing too many people who policed misinformation on the platform, and for allowing more harmful and abusive posts.

On Thursday, IBM suspended advertising on X after a report found its ads were appearing alongside content promoting Adolf Hitler and Nazis.

Lions Gate Entertainment has suspended advertising on Elon Musk-owned X, a spokesperson for the company said on Friday.

Apple is also pausing all advertising on X, Axios reported, after Musk backed an antisemitic post on the social media platform earlier this week.

In September, X sued California to block the state from enforcing a law requiring that social media companies publish policies for policing misinformation, harassment, hate speech, and extremism.

X said the law, Assembly Bill 587, violates its free speech rights. A federal judge will begin reviewing whether to enjoin the law in late November.

The case is X Corp v. Center for Countering Digital Hate Inc et al, US District Court, Northern District of California, No. 23-03836.