Elon Musk is under fire from several MAGA members, including influencer Laura Loomer, who have accused him of censoring dissent on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The controversy stems from a heated debate over H-1B visas and foreign workers, which has further deepened divisions within the MAGA movement.
Loomer claims Musk retaliated against her by removing her verification badge, downgrading her premium status, and blocking monetization on her account. “I have now also been banned from being able to purchase premium. We are always told to buy premium. But if you criticize immigration, you get your premium check taken away and are banned from buying Premium. Pure censorship. MAGA has been silenced,” Loomer wrote on X.
At least ten other influencers made similar allegations, accusing Musk of targeting accounts critical of his pro-immigration stance. X has yet to issue an official response to these claims, leaving the accusations unaddressed.
Musk, however, appeared to counter the allegations indirectly. In a tweet, he stated, “Any accounts found to be engaged in coordinated attacks to spam target accounts with mute/blocks will themselves be categorized – correctly – as spam. Live by the spam, die by the spam.” While not naming Loomer or MAGA supporters directly, Musk’s remarks suggested a firm stance against what he described as spam behavior.
The uproar began when Loomer criticized the appointment of Sriram Krishnan as Trump’s AI policy adviser, referring to Indian-Americans as “third-world invaders.” She also made incendiary remarks about India’s IQ, sparking widespread backlash.
Musk defended Krishnan and voiced support for H-1B visas, framing the debate as a misunderstanding of economic realities. “The ‘fixed pie’ fallacy is at the heart of much wrong-headed economic thinking. There is essentially infinite potential for job and company creation,” Musk tweeted. Vivek Ramaswamy, the co-chief of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), echoed Musk’s sentiments, emphasizing the cultural value of skilled immigrants.
Meanwhile, Loomer, former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, and several MAGA supporters criticized Musk and Ramaswamy’s pro-immigration views. The fallout has left President-elect Donald Trump in a challenging position, as he has yet to weigh in on the dispute among his supporters.
This clash underscores ongoing tensions within MAGA over immigration, free speech, and tech sector influence, with Musk’s role as both a platform owner and political appointee drawing increasing scrutiny.