In a controversial move, billionaire Elon Musk stirred up social media outrage after making a suggestive comment aimed at pop icon Taylor Swift. The incident occurred after Swift publicly endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. In her endorsement, Swift made a playful reference to herself as a "childless cat lady," seemingly poking fun at Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance. Musk, in response, tweeted, “Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life,” raising eyebrows and igniting backlash online.
Swift’s endorsement of Harris came as a surprise to many of her fans, as she had been notably quiet about the election until then. Given her history of opposition to Donald Trump, her silence had puzzled observers. Trump, apparently seeking to provoke Swift, posted doctored images implying her support and publicly praised her friend, Brittany Mahomes, for backing him. Swift’s response condemned the use of AI-generated images and reinforced her support for Kamala Harris, whom she described as a candidate who could lead with "calm and not chaos."
Musk, a vocal supporter of Trump, has not been shy about his political views. The billionaire even hosted a livestream with the former president on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) earlier in the year, though the event was marred by technical issues. Musk, who is known for having a large family with at least 12 children from different relationships, has a history of making controversial comments about parenthood. Reports from earlier this year revealed that Musk had asked a SpaceX employee to “have his babies,” adding to the list of eyebrow-raising remarks.
The backlash to Musk’s tweet was swift. Many users on X criticized the billionaire for what they saw as inappropriate and unsolicited sexual innuendo, particularly given X’s policies on abusive content and targeted harassment. According to X’s guidelines, users may not share abusive content or engage in harassment, but Musk’s tweet appeared to toe the line, with some speculating that leaving out Swift’s last name was an attempt at plausible deniability.
This incident once again highlights the tension between Musk’s public persona, his ownership of X, and the platform’s moderation policies. As public figures like Musk continue to blur the lines between personal expression and harassment, the incident raises questions about the role of social media giants in enforcing their own rules—especially when it comes to their highest-profile users.
