Elon Musk called Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) a “traitor” after he posted a thread about his recent visit to Ukraine on X.
“Just left Ukraine. What I saw proved to me we can’t give up on the Ukrainian people. Everyone wants this war to end, but any agreement has to protect Ukraine’s security and can’t be a giveaway to Putin. Let me tell you about my trip and why it’s important we stand with Ukraine,” Kelly said.
“This war started with what Putin thought would be a three-day operation to take Kyiv and control of all of Ukraine. Now three years later, that hasn’t happened. American and allied support has been a big reason why, but I saw how cutting it off now risks everything so many Ukrainians have laid down their lives for. And while our support hasn’t been free, we haven’t sent even half of what President Trump says,” he added.
“You are a traitor,” Musk responded.
ABC News reports:
Kelly, a former Navy pilot and astronaut, responded in a separate post on X.
“Traitor? Elon, if you don’t understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do,” wrote Kelly, whose recent trip marked his third visit to Ukraine since 2023.
Kelly later elaborated, telling reporters that the billionaire was “not a serious guy” who should “go back to building rockets.”
“He said he’s slashed and burned the federal government to make room for a giant tax cut for billionaires like himself,” Kelly said one day after his return from Ukraine, which was his third visit. “I’ve sworn an oath to this country. I’ve flown in combat. I’ve served in the Navy for 25 years. It appears to me the oath that Elon Musk stands by is the oath to billionaires – make their lives easier, not the American people, not veterans. I mean, he’s firing workers at VA hospitals. He’s not a serious guy. He should go back to building rockets.”
In the same discussion, Kelly said that his trip had been “emotional” at times, as he met with Ukrainian officials, embassy staff, and military leaders.
“This is existential for them, and again, over the past week or so, we’ve made it harder for them,” Kelly said.
He stressed the urgency of providing Ukraine with necessary munitions and intelligence to prevent further casualties.
The Hill noted:
This is not the first time Musk and Kelly have had a heated argument on social media.
Last month, Kelly and his brother, Scott Kelly, both retired astronauts, called out Musk over his attacks on another astronaut on X.
“Hey @ElonMusk, when you finally get the nerve to climb into a rocket ship, come talk to the three of us,” the senator wrote on X in response to Musk’s post calling Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen “an idiot.”
