Rep. Marcy Captur, D. Ohio, ignited a social media firestorm over comments that question DOGE chief Elon’s loyalty to the U.S., given that he has been a U.S. citizen “only” for 22 years.
“Mr. Musk has only been here for 22 years,” Kaptur said outside the Capitol on Wednesday. “And he holds citizenship in three countries. I always ask myself, with the damage he’s causing here, when it comes down to it, where does his loyalty lie? South Africa? Canada? Or the United States? And I’ll remind you, he’s only been a citizen for 22 years.”
Kaptur has been in Congress since 1983. Conservatives immediately criticized her on social media for hypocrisy and accused her of using words that Republicans are vilified for.
The Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno wrote on X: “Like @elonmusk, I also immigrated LEGALLY to the United States and pledged allegiance to America. But Democrats only see us as low-cost laborers who mow and pick up their lawns and crops. They say that if you question the liberal narrative and step out of their line, you do not belong in America. It’s disgusting.”
Greg Price, a member of the White House Rapid Response Team, posted on X that “Rep Marcy Kaptur is a nativist now when it comes to Elon Musk.”
White House rapid response posted on X that “@RepMarcyKaptur now questions the loyalty of American Citizens, it’s a new low.”
“This is a really bad thing for Marcy Kaptur to say,” Taxpayers Protection Alliance President David Williams posted on X. “Is she saying this about immigrants?
Jake Sherman, founder of Punchbowl News, commented on X about Kaptur’s comments. He said that it was “a new tone for House Democrats …”
NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said, “Marcy Kaptur’s disgusting remark about Elon Musk’s loyalties based on the fact that he is an immigrant exposes the Democrat Party’s descent into nativist language- exactly what they claim to be against.”
Their hypocrisy was evident: They championed open borders whenever it benefited them, but resorted to xenophobic attacks when an immigrant didn’t fit with their political agenda.
Ramesh Poonuru, editor of the National Review, shared on X that the Democrats don’t like immigrants.
“Is this the attack they want to make?!” Republican communicator Matt Whitlock posted on X. “That Elon has only been a citizen for 22 years? The Trump administration is truly blessed with the dumbest opposition I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Macarena Martnez, the communications director of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), posted on X. “If a Republican had said that, they’d be cancelled.”
Kaptur, 78, previously signed onto a House resolution in 2019 condemning President Trump for alleged xenophobic comments.
The resolution said: “This resolution declares that immigrants and descendants have strengthened America and naturalized Americans are as American as people whose families were in the United States since generations.”
It also demonstrates a willingness to maintain America’s openness to all who seek asylum from oppression or violence and to anyone willing to strive hard for the American Dream regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality.
Musk’s cuts to government spending and programs have continued to irritate Democrats over the past few weeks. However, polling indicates that the majority of Americans support DOGE’s goals.
