Elon Musk and Sen. Mark Kelly sparred on social media Monday, with the tech billionaire calling the Arizona Democrat a “traitor” over a series of posts in support of Ukraine and its people.
Kelly said in his initial post Sunday that his trip over the weekend to the war-torn country, where he met with military members, nurses and others, had reaffirmed his commitment to not give up on the Ukrainian people. He added that any peace deal with Russia “has to protect Ukraine’s security and can’t be a giveaway” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kelly also criticized President Donald Trump, saying he was “trying to weaken Ukraine’s hand.”
“You are a traitor,” Musk wrote on X on Monday, the platform he owns, in response to Kelly’s posts.
“Traitor? Elon, if you don’t understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do,” Kelly responded.
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The senator's trip came shortly after the Trump administration paused military aid to Ukraine in the wake of an explosive meeting in the Oval Office on Feb. 28, when Trump and Vice President JD Vance chastised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over what they called his lack of gratitude for U.S. assistance in the three years since Russia invaded his country.
Kelly also shot back at Musk, the head of SpaceX and architect of the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, while speaking to reporters Monday on Capitol Hill.
“He’s slashed and burned the federal government to make room for a giant tax cut for billionaires like himself. I’ve sworn an oath to this country, I’ve flown in combat, I served in the Navy for 25 years. It appears to me the oath that Elon Musk stands by is the oath to billionaires to make their lives easier, not the American people, not veterans,” Kelly said. “He’s not a serious guy. He should go back to building rockets.”
Kelly said that his Ukraine visit was emotional at times, and that he believes Putin needs to come out of any deal feeling like it was a "bad deal" for him.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to attend talks with Zelenskyy in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Rubio and other U.S. officials previously met with a Russian delegation to discuss peace negotiations.
In addition to efforts to drastically reduce U.S. government spending, Musk has faced criticism in the past over Ukraine.
In 2023, Musk thwarted a Ukraine attack on Russia's navy, and suggested in a Twitter poll in 2022 that Ukraine should allow Russia to take control of Crimea, among other concessions, as part of a peace deal.
The fiery exchange is not the first time Kelly and the tech billionaire turned Trump adviser have engaged in a public spat.
Last month, Musk called Kelly a “Dem donor shill” in a post criticizing his twin brother, also a former astronaut, and the Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen.
“Hey @ElonMusk, when you finally get the nerve to climb into a rocket ship, come talk to the three of us,” Kelly fired back.
