Elon Musk Deletes Tweets About Trump Travel Ban
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has been measured in his comments regarding executive order.
By Nina Zipkin •
Yesterday, Elon Musk weighed in on President Donald Trump's travel ban on Twitter, only to delete the tweets.
"Regarding gov't policy, there are often things that happen that many people don't agree with. This is normal for a functioning democracy," he wrote. "They rarely warrant a public statement. However, the ban on Muslim immigrants from certain countries rises to this level. It is not right." A final tweet was definitive: "The Muslim immigration ban is not right."
When Twitter users asked him about the comments, Musk replied that the tweets were drafts that he accidentally posted.
Related: 40 Reactions (and Counting) to Trump's Travel Ban From Richard Branson to Sheryl Sandberg
@Samcornwell they were earlier drafts that I accidentally published. I said the same thing a week already.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 15, 2017
Musk has previously spoken out against the ban. However, Musk's most recent missives were more strongly worded than his prior tweets on the subject.
The blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country's challenges
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2017
Related: 97 Tech Companies Including Apple and Google File Brief Against Trump Travel Ban
Musk, who is known for being measured in his approach, also sits on Trump's Strategic & Policy Forum -- a role he has defended in recent weeks, noting that "advisory councils simply provide advice and attending does not mean that I agree with actions by the Administration."
Early last week, Tesla and SpaceX joined big-name companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Google in signing a court brief describing the detriments of the Trump Administration's executive order. The Ninth Circuit court declined the administration's request to reinstate the order on Feb. 9
