NEW YORK — President Joe Biden has criticized Elon Musk for his hypocrisy on immigration after a published report that the Tesla CEO once worked illegally in the United States.
Musk, who was born in South Africa, denies the allegation.
“Turns out the richest man in the world is an illegal worker here. No, I’m serious. He was supposed to be in school when he came on a student visa. He wasn’t in school. He was violating the law. And he’s talking about all these illegal immigrants coming in Our way?” Biden said while campaigning Saturday in Pittsburgh at a union hall.
The Washington Post reported That Musk worked illegally in the country while on a student visa.
Musk arrived in Palo Alto, California, in 1995 for a graduate program at Stanford University “but never took courses, instead working on his startup,” the newspaper said, citing company documents, former business partners and court documents.
“I have actually been allowed to work in the United States,” Musk wrote on X in response to a video post of Biden’s comments. “Biden’s puppet is lying,” Musk added.
Investors in Musk’s company Zip2 were concerned about the possibility of their founder being deported, according to the report, and gave him a deadline to obtain a work visa.
The newspaper also cited a 2005 email from Musk to Tesla’s founders in which he admitted that he did not have permission to be in the United States when he started Zip2.
According to the account, this email was submitted as evidence in a now-closed defamation lawsuit in California, and stated that Musk had applied to Stanford University so he could stay in the country legally.
Musk is today the richest man in the world. He has committed more than $70 million to help Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and other GOP candidates win on November 5, and is one of the party’s largest donors this campaign season.
He has been center stage in the final stretch of the race for the White House, often echoing Trump’s dark anti-immigration rhetoric.
Trump has pledged to give Musk a role in his administration if he wins next month.
There was no immediate response to messages sent by X and Tesla seeking Musk’s comment.
“Web maven. Infuriatingly humble beer geek. Bacon fanatic. Typical creator. Music expert.”
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