Elon Musk has the ear of one of the most powerful people in the world – President Donald Trump – making him one of the most powerful people in the world, too. He’s been given unfettered access to adjust the federal government’s budget and headcount.
So what’s he doing posting a slur multiple times targeting the disabled community on social media?
Musk – who boasts nearly 220 million followers on X, the social media platform he owns – has repeatedly used the “R” word to describe people with whom he disagrees. In the last week alone, he’s included it in at least three tweets. The use of this language has sparked criticism from people with disabilities and their advocates, who were beginning to see a world where such terms were deemed unacceptable. USA TODAY has reached out to Musk for comment.
“When we, disabled people, speak out against its usage, our concerns are frequently ignored or minimized with excuses like ‘I’m not using it in a harmful way,'” says Nila Morton, a 26-year-old disability advocate. “This dismissive attitude implies that the feelings of disabled people are less important, like our pain does not matter. In reality, the casual use of this word further marginalizes our community that already struggles to secure equal opportunities and fair treatment in society.”
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‘Undermines our community’
The Trump administration is aiming to rid the federal government (and private sector) of all things diversity, equity and inclusion. It’s a sharp turnaround from decades of progress for marginalized people and just several years after the country grappled with George Floyd’s murder and began to examine the effects of systemic racism. Disabled people, too, saw a more hospitable climate that they worry is now slipping away.
It’s not just the language itself that upsets them. It’s the language coupled with what they worry is a shift in our culture that could limit their rights.
“Too often, people dismiss it as a harmless negative word but in reality, its use reinforces harmful, ableist attitudes and behaviors,” Morton says. “When people like Musk … use this slur, it not only undermines our community but also opens the door for able-bodied people to justify discrimination and the denial of resources and opportunities to disabled people.”
This isn’t a new concern when it comes to Trump nor Musk; Trump once mocked a disabled reporter and Musk insulted a Twitter employee about his disability and later apologized. “Both (men) have continually insulted, mocked and dismissed the disabled community,” says Michael Rembis, director of the Center for Disability Studies at the University at Buffalo, adding that “they perpetuate the ignorance, hate and violence that has harmed, and in many cases destroyed, the lives of disabled people in the past and in more recent times.” Not to mention that Musk himself has said he has Asperger’s syndrome, which the Cleveland Clinic notes falls under the umbrella of autism spectrum disorder.
Musk is “making the use of derogatory ableist comments acceptable,” says Lisette Torres-Gerald, disabled scholar-activist and senior researcher at education and research non-profit TERC.
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‘A fight that disabled people are ready to take on’
Musk is, of course, free to express his political and personal views like anyone else. But there’s no need to use hateful language either, advocates say. “I am hopeful that (Musk) will find other ways to express his critiques without resorting to a hateful schoolyard put-down,” says Andy Imparato, executive director of Disability Rights California.
