Elon Musk tweets meme about America's political polarization as the left goes farther left
The Tesla CEO has described himself as 'politically moderate' in the past
Elon Musks’ Twitter deal trends on Capitol Hill
Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram has the latest as lawmakers question whether Musk’s Twitter acquisition deal will spark legislative action.
Elon Musk, whose $44 billion bid for Twitter was recently accepted, tweeted on his new platform a meme about polarization in American politics on Thursday, suggesting that his views haven't changed but the left has become more extreme.
The meme diagrams his shift from center-left in 2008 to center-right in 2021 along the political spectrum in the United States.
In the meme Musk tweeted, the center and right remain stationary, while the political left keeps moving farther from the center over the years.
Twitter's board accepted the Tesla CEO's $44 billion takeover bid earlier this week but shareholders and regulators still need to weigh in before the deal goes through.
Musk described himself in a 2018 as a "registered independent" and "politically moderate," but said that doesn't mean he's moderate on all issues.
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In describing his motivations for purchasing Twitter, Musk said he believes "in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe."
"For Twitter to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally," Musk tweeted Wednesday.
Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, stands in the foundry of the Tesla Gigafactory during a press event. (Photo by Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Still, Musk caught the ire of multiple top Democrats with the Twitter takeover.
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Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., tweeted that Musk and other billionaires "now have dangerous influence over the most powerful online platforms" and "can't be trusted."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., called the purchase "dangerous for our democracy."
"Billionaires like Elon Musk play by a different set of rules than everyone else, accumulating power for their own gain," Warren tweeted. "We need a wealth tax and strong rules to hold Big Tech accountable."
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Musk, who has more than 88 million followers on Twitter, has centered free speech as one of his main motivations.
"Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated," Musk said after the purchase.