Elon Musk Faces Backlash for 'Prosecute/Fauci' Tweet: 'No Class'

Elon Musk's critics are pushing back after the Twitter CEO posted a tweet on Sunday morning that took aim at Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden's soon-to-be retired chief medical adviser.

In his tweet, the billionaire, 51, appeared to mock pronoun use and said: "My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci." The comment has been liked more than 560,000 times and retweeted over 90,000 times as of Sunday afternoon.

Fauci advocated for people to get vaccinated and wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic but has come under scrutiny from conservatives and conspiracy theorists over restrictions and medical advice he offered.

The top immunologist has been harassed after he became a target of people who questioned the benefits of the vaccine, saying it was dangerous. Various claims about the COVID-19 vaccine's safety have repeatedly been dispelled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, who has had multiple public squabbles with Fauci, previously pledged to conduct "a full-throated investigation into the origins of the pandemic" regardless of the doctor's impending retirement at the end of this month. GOP Representatives James Comer and Jim Jordan have accused Fauci of "hiding information" about the COVID-19's origin.

Former CIA director and Obama White House official John Brennan took to Twitter to voice his concern with Musk's Sunday tweet, saying, "Dr. Fauci is a national hero who will be remembered for generations to come for his innate goodness & many contributions to public health. Despite your business success, you will be remembered most for fueling public hate & divisions. You may have money, but you have no class."

Kyle Griffin, an MSNBC executive producer, pointed out Musk's tweet for "denigrating the trans community."

"The man who shared disinformation about Paul Pelosi, allowed hate speech to flourish on his platform, and endorsed Ron DeSantis in 2024 is now calling for the prosecution of a public health professional (and denigrating the trans community at the same time)," Griffin tweeted.

Representative Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, reacted to Musk's tweet on Sunday, saying, "Elon Musk wants to criminalize Anthony Fauci because he disagrees with him. Elon is no champion of free speech."

Filmmaker and producer Andy Ostroy tweeted: "Ssshhh...what's that sound? It's the sound of even more advertisers fleeing..."

However, even with a large amount of criticism, Musk did receive some support. In a Sunday afternoon tweet, Paul reiterated what he previously said about the doctor, adding that Fauci's "policies destroyed lives."

"Fauci's resignation should not prevent a full-throated investigation into the origins of the pandemic. He must be required to testify under oath regarding any discussions he participated in concerning the Wuhan lab leak," the senator wrote.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, tweeted: "I affirm your pronouns Elon."

Former President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., also voiced his support for the Twitter CEO on Truth Social saying, "This times 1000!"

Representative Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, praised Musk on Twitter, saying, "Now these are pronouns I can approve of! Long overdue."

Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in October after months of trying to back out of the deal. His critics instantly voiced concern over the new ownership and threatened to leave the social media platform over free speech issues. However, Musk said the platform would not become "a free-for-all hellscape."

Most recently, he reinstated rapper Kanye West's Twitter account after he was previously suspended for posting antisemitic remarks in October.

After being reinstated, the rapper shared an image of a swastika over the Star of David, a symbol of Judaism, with the caption: "YE24 LOVE EVERYONE." The tweet was removed shortly after.

Musk then took to the social media site to address the concerning tweet, along with announcing West's suspension from Twitter once again. "Just clarifying that his account is being suspended for incitement to violence," Musk wrote at the time.

Newsweek has reached out to tech analysts for comment.

Update 12/11/2022, 3:57 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include a tweet from Senator Rand Paul.