Democrat Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (NY) is facing criticism after telling Elon Musk to “go back to South Africa” during a public appearance outside the HUD Department in which she also asked “what the hell” he is doing in the United States, according to Fox News.
“It was interesting yesterday I was watching a video of an interview of Elon Musk with someone where he said that the Italians should stay in Italy and the Chinese should stay in China, my question to Elon Musk is what the hell are you doing here in America?” Democratic Velazquez said Monday evening.
According to Fox News, “Velazquez was repeating a claim promoted on social media about an Elon Musk interview in 2023 that liberal fact-checker Snopes deemed to be ‘false.’”
Conservatives quickly took to social media to condemn Velazquez’s remarks. Critics labeled her comments as “unhinged” and accused Democrats of embracing “nativism.” Bobby LaValley, Rapid Response Director for House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Greg Price from the White House Rapid Response team, both posted their disapproval on X.
Jeremy Carl, a Claremont Institute Senior Fellow, questioned why Velazquez seemed to only dislike a “White immigrant,” contrasting this with her stance on illegal immigration.
“Nydia Velasquez has finally found an immigrant she doesn’t like,” Carl posted on X. “Not the tens of thousands of illegals in her district who live off of our tax dollars – but America’s greatest entrepreneur, a White immigrant. When the left tells you who they are believe them.”
Right Turn Strategies President Chris Barron posted on X, “Imagine if any Republican said this about any liberal.”
Velazquez made the comments during a protest with fellow Democrats outside the HUD building, criticizing Musk’s DOGE efforts, which she suggested is attacking the “soul of our nation.”
This incident follows similar sentiments expressed by Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur last week, who questioned Musk’s loyalty to the United States due to his immigrant status as having “just been here 22 years” as a U.S. citizen. Kaptur also criticized Musk for having citizenship in three countries.
