Elon Musk—the billionaire owner of X, formerly Twitter—was flamed on his own social media platform after he appeared to wear a cowboy hat backwards during a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Musk's trip coincided with a surge in migrants crossing into the United States in recent days, particularly in areas near San Diego, California, as well as the Texas border towns of El Paso and Eagle Pass.
During his visit to Eagle Pass, where migrants have been crossing the Rio Grande near a railroad bridge despite the presence of razor wire placed by the Texas National Guard, Musk shared his views on U.S. immigration in a video-selfie posted on X.
Musk wore a black T-shirt, aviator-style sunglasses—and a cowboy hat that many suggested he was wearing backwards.
You can see Musk's border visit in the video below.
That awkward cowboy hat did not go unnoticed—and people mocked Musk immediately.
Musk called himself "extremely pro-immigrant" in remarks acknowledging his own South African background as he waded into the immigration debate.
He advocated for an "expedited legal approval" process as part of a "greatly expanded legal immigration system." Musk emphasized the importance of welcoming "hard-working and honest" migrants while simultaneously preventing the entry of those who are "breaking the law."
Despite previously saying he “would prefer to stay out of politics"—a claim not backed up by his frequent criticisms of public policy and his habit of spreading conspiracy theories about COVID-19—Musk has criticized U.S. immigration policy before and appears to have changed his stance on a border wall, which the GOP has continued to insist would be an effective deterrent.
Musk's visit to the border belies his own interest in the Texas economy. Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas plant is located in Austin while SpaceX operates a major testing and launch facility on the Gulf Coast, near the city of Brownsville.
UPDATE: When Insider reached out to Mark Harris, the London director of Stetson, he said "it looks like Elon is wearing the hat the correct way."
