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Elon Musk Ignites Firestorm with Cryptic Message Suggesting He's Turning to the Right

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk ignited a firestorm on social media after he tweeted a cryptic message apparently linking himself to the conservative movement.

The sometimes controversial billionaire has been critical of the heavy-handed government response to the coronavirus pandemic in recent weeks, and has been particularly open about his displeasure with the state of California, where Tesla is headquartered.

Sunday, Musk tweeted a reference to the film “The Matrix” which has become synonymous with those aligning themselves with free-thinking, anti-Big Brother conservative ideology.

Musk posted a red rose emoji on Twitter and told his 34 million followers: “Take the red pill.”

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The post was followed by another cryptic reference to “The Matrix,” in which Musk shared an image of the film’s character Morpheus, portrayed by actor Laurence Fishburne, displaying a red pill and a blue pill.

Do you agree with Elon Musk that California officials are ignoring constitutional rights?

In the 1999 film, Morpheus presents the film’s protagonist with the option of taking either a red pill to experience an awakening of truth or a blue pill to continue living in ignorance.

Musk’s “red pill” tweet immediately drew responses from both conservatives and liberals and was shared nearly 100,000 times in less than 24 hours.

Ivanka Trump, the eldest daughter of President Donald Trump, responded to Musk and wrote that she had “taken” the red pill.

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The Tesla co-founder’s post was well-received by many of Twitter’s most ardent conservatives, while liberals on the social media site expressed their vexation at Musk.

“The Matrix” co-director, a man born as Andrew Paul Wachowski who announced he was transgender in 2016 and began going as Lilly Wachowski, attacked both musk and Ivanka Trump for referencing his movie.

“F— both of you,” Wachowski wrote in response to Ivanka’s tweet.

Musk, who shared in 2018 that he viewed himself as a “socialist,” has emerged as an unlikely ally to those arguing against government lockdown orders in recent months.

On March 6, before much of the country was shut down, Musk described the panic surrounding the coronavirus as “dumb.”

On May 14, Musk shared a popular meme on Twitter poking fun at Karl Marx.

The meme shows a philosophical argument about time throughout history and portrays Marx as arguing that time was invented by capitalists so that they can “sell more clocks.”

On May 9, Musk threatened to leave California and take his company with him, reminding the state’s leaders that Tesla is the last remaining car manufacturer in the Golden State.

In the same thread, he blasted an “unelected” health official for defying President Donald Trump and the “Constitutional freedoms” of Californians.

On May 11, Musk stated that he had ordered his Tesla production facility in Fremont, California, to reopen in defiance of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home mandate.

“Tesla is restarting production today against Alameda County rules. I will be on the line with everyone else. If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me,” he wrote.

President Trump tweeted in support of Musk reopening his facility.

“California should let Tesla & @elonmusk open the plant, NOW. It can be done Fast & Safely!” Trump tweeted.

CNN Business reported that during an April Tesla earnings call, Musk labeled stay-at-home orders “fascist.”

The billionaire stated his belief that lockdown orders were “forcibly imprisoning people in their homes.”

Musk has also recently been critical of CNN — a position many American conservatives would also support.

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Johnathan Jones has worked as a reporter, an editor, and producer in radio, television and digital media.
Johnathan "Kipp" Jones has worked as an editor and producer in radio and television. He is a proud husband and father.




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