Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello mocked billionaire Elon Musk after Musk weirdly cast himself as a rebel and referenced the band in an inane tweet mocking his critics.
Musk, whose net worth is more than $250 billion, more than the entire GDP of the majority of the world's nations, wrote the following post accompanied by a laugh emoji:
"Why are so many people raging FOR the machine?"
You can see his post below.
The irony is pretty rich.
Rage Against the Machine, the ’90s alt-rock band known for anthems like "Killing in the Name," has always been outspoken about its anti-capitalist, anarchist-leaning politics.
Amused by Musk’s attempt to position himself as some enemy of the establishment, Morello couldn’t resist a jab and tweeted,
" Funny cuz Elon was the kid on the cover of Evil Empire."
The album cover features a clean-cut, all-American kid with a cape and the letter “e” on his shirt—a critique of conservative politics, inspired by President Ronald Reagan’s Cold War rhetoric.
The irony was clear: the "evil" Morello mocked was not communism, as Reagan had labeled it, but the system Musk now represents.
You can see his post and the image below.
Epic Records
Many appreciated Morello's response and joined in criticizing Musk.
While Musk never referenced who he was referring to, his post came the same day he stirred controversy by tweeting a now-deleted remark questioning why “no one is even trying to assassinate" President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris following an attempt on former President Donald Trump's life at his West Palm Beach golf course.
Musk later brushed it off as a joke but his words attracted the attention of the White House, which condemned his words in a statement via White House spokesperson Andrew Bates.
Bates noted that Biden and Harris said after learning the "disturbing news" that "‘there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country,’ and ‘we all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence." Bates added that violence "should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about.”
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