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Elon Musk Furious After White House Says It Is Monitoring Twitter

Photo of Carmine Sabia Carmine SabiaNovember 30, 2022
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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.

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The media has traditionally been a champion of free speech, but Twitter CEO Elon Musk believes that that has changed. On Monday during a White House press briefing a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre if the administration was monitoring the situation at Twitter for “misinformation.”

“Just a question about Twitter.  You know, there’s a researcher at Stanford who says that this is a critical moment, really, in terms of ensuring that Twitter does not become a vector for misinformation.  I mean, are you concerned about the — you know, Elon Musk says there are more and more subscribers coming online?  Are you concerned about that?  And what tools do you have?  Who is it at the White House that is really keeping track of this?” Reuters reporter Andrea Shalalsaid.

“So, look, this is something that we’re certainly keeping an eye on.  And, look, we — you know, we have always been very clear and — that when it comes to social media platforms, it is their responsibility to make sure that when it comes to misinformation, when we — when it comes to the hate that we’re seeing, that they take action, that they continue to take action,” the press secretary said.

“Again, we’re all keeping a close eye on this.  We’re all monitoring what’s — what’s currently occurring.  And we see — you know, we see it with our own eyes of what you all are reporting and, just for ourselves, what’s happening on Twitter,” she said.

“But again, social media companies have a responsibility to prevent their platforms from being used by any user to incite violence, especially violence directed at individual communities, as we have been seeing.  And the President has been very clear on calling that out.  He’ll continue to do that.  And we’re going to continue to monitor the situation,” she said.

This caught the attention of Musk who appeared to be furious with it.

“Absolutely insane watching The Machine go after @elonmusk for defending free speech. This whole exchange is kabuki theater, from the ridiculous leading question by the ‘journalist’ to KJP’s obviously pre-planned response,” journalist Dave Rubin said.

“Why are so many in the media against free speech? This is messed up,” the Twitter CEO said.

Musk has made a habit of making liberals furious in recent months and it appears he loves to troll them.

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His most recent tweet is near certain to set them into a frenzy as he shared a photo of his “bedside table” and it included 4 caffeine free Cokes, a painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware and a futuristic looking revolver.

There were also rings from glasses that were seen on the table which prompted Musk to say “There is no excuse for my lack of coasters.”

And in an apparent reference to the gun he said, “Greetings, I’m Musket, Elon Musket.”

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Conservatives were certain that liberals would be triggered by Musk’s tweet.

“LOL – This is going to trigger the Left more than anything you’ve ever tweeted. Let the tears start falling like rain,” one Twitter user said.

“The people who want to ban handguns are going to lose it over this,” Robby Starbuck said.

“Trigger tweet of the year,” another said.

“Hey! I thought I was the only one who drank this stuff!” former national spokesperson for former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, Katrina Pierson, said as she shared a photo of four fiet coke bottles and a gun on a table.

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“If you can’t translate this Tweet, you’re asleep. And he’s not wrong,” another said.

“Oh no he likes guns! And General Washington,” Sebastian Gorka said.

Musk announced on Monday that Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter, which would make it one of the most high-profile companies to pull ads from the social media platform.

“Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?,” Musk said in a tweet. He later tagged Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook’s Twitter account in another tweet, asking “what’s going on here?”

“The move aligns the iPhone maker with a rising list of firms from General Mills Inc to luxury automaker Audi of America that have stopped or paused advertising on Twitter since the billionaire’s $44 billion buyout last month,” Reuters reported.

“Musk said ‘yes’ in response to a user question on whether Apple was threatening Twitter’s presence in the App Store or making moderation demands. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment,” the outlet added.

Musk continues to make changes to the platform, including unbanning previously suspended users and implementing free speech policies, he is also laying down the law, so to speak.

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Photo of Carmine Sabia Carmine SabiaNovember 30, 2022