Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has finally responded to Elon Musk after he tweeted that she “turned on” him when she actually blasted him for “an explosion of hate crimes” after he bought Twitter.
“Like I said, ego issues,” the congresswoman tweeted Saturday morning, about 20 hours after Musk’s initial tweets. She used a shrug emoji and quoted the exchange between her and the new owner of the social media platform on Twitter.
On Friday, Musk accused AOC of flirting with him after she was furious that his purchase of Twitter fueled hate crimes.
“Stop hitting on me I’m really shy,” he wrote, adding a blushing emoji.
Musk directly responded to a tweet from the Democratic representative on Friday that suggested he only bought the platform at the behest of Fox News host Tucker Carlson and his PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 32, responded to Elon Musk nearly a day after he accused the congresswoman of punching him on Twitter. She replied: “Like I said, ego issues”
“Like I said, ego issues,” the congresswoman tweeted about 20 hours after Musk’s initial tweets. She used a shrug emoji and quoted the exchange between her and the new owner of the social media platform on Twitter
The response came after Musk joked on Twitter that AOC was hitting on him. “Stop teasing me I’m really shy,” he wrote, adding a pink face emoji
“I’m tired of emphasizing collectively what a hate crime explosion is happening because a billionaire with an ego problem unilaterally controls a huge communications platform and distorts it because Tucker Carlson or Peter Thiel took him out to dinner and made him feel to be special,” she tweeted.
AOC later responded to Musk’s dig by claiming it was actually referring to Facebook and Instagram owner Mark Zuckerberg.
She wrote, “I was talking about Zuckerberg but ok,” and deleted the tweet a minute later. Why she removed the message is unclear.
AOC later responded to Musk’s tweet, claiming it was referring to Mark Zuckerberg, but deleted the message about a minute later
Earlier Friday, Ocasio-Cortez took offense at Musk’s claim that the “far left” had taken over the Democratic Party in recent years after he released a chart showing what he saw as the party left’s deviation since 2008.
“The far left is taking over WO,” she wrote. “In Texas, Republicans passed legislation allowing rapists to sue their victims for an abortion. Can anyone name a “far left” policy that has been implemented anywhere? We can’t even get our party to import cheaper RXs from Canada. Phew.’
AOC was questioned on Twitter after deleting the tweet
Memes surfaced after the exchange, including this one tweeted by Donald Trump Jr.
Another meme tweeted by Donald Trump Jr. makes fun of AOC
A meme posted to Twitter Friday night shows a rejected AOC and a burning Tesla with the joke that AOC has been rejected
Another meme posted on Twitter joking about Elon Musk was dismissed by AOC
Musk’s purchase of Twitter — which was confirmed Monday — has sparked howls of outrage from many online progressives, while conservatives have welcomed him.
The entrepreneur said he doesn’t agree with censorship and currently bans Twitter submissions from users who he believes post “harmful content” or misinformation.
Musk says he prefers “time-outs” for violators to outright bans.
He also tweeted his disapproval of Twitter’s $17 million lawyer, Vijaya Gadde, and blasted her for censoring the New York Post’s October 2020 exclusive about Hunter Biden’s laptop.
Initially dismissed as “misinformation” – some liberals even questioned whether it was a concerted campaign by Russia – the contents of the computer have since been authenticated.
Musk shared this image earlier this week, hinting that he went left-of-center to right-of-center because the views of many progressives had become so extreme
His behavior has caused howls of outrage from many of Twitter’s current employees, who tend to be liberal.
They’ve vowed to leave the platform when Musk takes over in about six months — though the tycoon is likely planning a major downsizing anyway to boost profitability.
He is said to have discussed the sacking of current CEO Parag Agrawal, who made around $30 million in 2022, and is likely to bring in his own board.
Musk also shared a meme earlier this week in which he indicated that his personal politics has shifted from centre-left to conservative because many liberals have become so extreme in their woke views.
The tweet that Elon Musk replied to is pictured above, with the tycoon’s scathing attack on Vijaya Gadde’s behavior just below
Analysis earlier this week showed how right-wing figures saw their supporters soar after news of Musk’s takeover, while famous liberal tweeters did the opposite
And days after his purchase, prominent conservative tweeters noticed their numbers starting to rise, while famous liberals saw their followers plummet sharply.
Among the biggest beneficiaries was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who added about 400,000 new followers since Tuesday.
Meanwhile, AOC has seen its followers plummet by more than 15,000 over the past four days.
Conservatives have long suggested that Twitter is “shadowing” them, making it harder for people to see their tweets.
They have suggested that the algorithm used to punish them was changed before Musk joins so as not to anger him.
Twitter insists the rise and fall in followers is organic – claiming many rights have joined the platform after Musk’s purchase, while liberals furious over the deal are making good on their promises to leave to have.
Musk has sold a total of $8.5 billion worth of Tesla stock over the past few days, fresh regulatory filings showed on Friday.
The filings double the previously reported amount of the fire sale Musk is believed to be conducting to fund his $21 billion cash obligation to purchase Twitter for $44 billion.
Although Musk is the richest man in the world with an estimated net worth of $246 billion, most of his wealth is tied up in stocks and it seemed clear he would need to sell some assets to fund the Twitter acquisition.
About half of Musk’s sell-off of Tesla shares occurred on Tuesday. Musk sold the stock for an additional $4.4 billion on Thursday, new filings show.
On Thursday evening after the first round of stock sales became public, Musk tweeted, “No further TSLA sales are planned after today.”
Tesla stock, which fell 12 percent when it made its first stock exit earlier this week, rose 6 percent in Friday morning trade after Musk vowed not to sell the rest of his stake.
To complete the Twitter acquisition, which is expected to be completed by October, Musk has raised $21 billion in cash, $13 billion from Morgan Stanley in traditional bank loans, and an additional $12.5 billion from the bank and others Margin loan committed.
Elon Musk has sold a total of more than $8.4 billion worth of Tesla shares over the past few days, fresh regulatory filings showed on Friday
After the sale, Musk still owns about 16 percent of Tesla, a stake worth $143 billion
Tesla stock, which fell 12 percent when it made its first stock sale earlier this week, rose on Friday after Musk vowed not to sell the rest of his stake
It’s unclear why Musk chose to liquidate part of his 17 percent stake in Tesla so far ahead of the deal’s expected closing date.
In total, he sold about 9.6 million shares this week, according to Thursday and Friday’s reports, representing 5.6 percent of his stake in the company. Musk still owns about 16 percent of Tesla, a stake worth $143 billion.
After taxes, Musk will make about $6.5 billion from his latest stock sale and about $3 billion in profit from another big selloff late last year. That leaves about $10 billion in cash that he still needs to meet his equity needs for the Twitter deal.
It’s not clear how he’ll cover the remaining equity funding. Musk owns a 44 percent stake in unlisted rocket company SpaceX, which is reportedly valued at $100 billion.