A Democratic Rep. drew criticism on social media Monday when she instructed DOGE Chief Elon Musk to “Return to South Africa” and requested “What the hell” he’s doing in the USA.
“It was fascinating yesterday I used to be watching a video of an interview of Elon Musk with somebody the place he mentioned that the Italians ought to keep in Italy and the Chinese language ought to keep in China, my query to Elon Musk is what the hell are you doing right here in America?” Democratic Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (N.Y.) mentioned exterior the HUD Division on Monday night.
“Return to South Africa,” Rep. Velazquez mentioned.
Velazquez was repeating a declare promoted on social media about an Elon Musk interview in 2023 that liberal fact-checker Snopes deemed to be “false.”
Dem. Rep. Lydia Velazquez instructed Elon Musk to “return to South Africa” on Monday (NLIHC Group | AP Photograph/Getty)
Velazquez, who was born in Puerto Rico, added that the struggle towards DOGE is the struggle “for the soul of our nation.”
Conservatives on social media blasted Velazquez for her feedback on Musk’s immigration standing.
“Unhinged,” Bobby LaValley, Speedy Response Director for Home Speaker Mike Johnson, posted on X.
“Fully unhinged…,” the White Home Speedy Response group added in a submit on X.
“Elon has damaged their brains a lot that Democrats at the moment are embracing nativism,” White Home Speedy Response’s Greg Worth posted on X.
“Nydia Velasquez has lastly discovered an immigrant she would not like,” Claremont Institute Senior Fellow Jeremy Carl posted on X. “Not the tens of hundreds of illegals in her district who reside off of our tax {dollars} – however America’s best entrepreneur, a White immigrant. When the left tells you who they’re consider them.”
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Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., speaks at a information convention within the Capitol Customer Middle ( Tom Williams/Roll Name/Getty Pictures)
“Think about if any Republican mentioned this about any liberal,” Proper Flip Methods President Chris Barron posted on X.
Fox Information Digital reached out to Velazquez’s workplace for remark.
Velazquez had gathered exterior the HUD constructing with fellow Democrats within the newest protest of Musk’s DOGE efforts which they argue is making cuts to packages which might be important to the on a regular basis wants of Individuals, a criticism the Trump administration has pushed again on.
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CEO of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk speaks on the Conservative Political Motion Convention (CPAC) on the Gaylord Nationwide Resort Resort And Conference Middle on February 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Maryland. ((Photograph by Andrew Harnik/Getty Pictures))
The controversial remark follows a comparable sentiment expressed by Dem. Rep. Marcy Kaptur final week the place she questioned Musk’s loyalty to the USA attributable to his immigrant standing.
“Mr. Musk has simply been right here 22 years,” Kaptur mentioned exterior the Capitol on Wednesday in a remark that obtained blowback from conservatives. “And he’s a citizen of three international locations. I at all times ask myself the query, with the harm he’s doing right here, when push involves shove, which nation is his loyalty to? South Africa? Canada? Or the USA? And he’s solely been a citizen, I’ll say once more, 22 years.”
Fox Information Digital’s Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report
