Elon Musk, the billionaire businessman and head of the Division of Authorities Effectivity, referred to as Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly a “traitor” in a submit on X after Kelly posted that he had visited Ukraine over the weekend.
Kelly, in a thread on X Sunday evening, posted images of his go to to Ukraine and wrote, “Everybody needs this conflict to finish, however any settlement has to guard Ukraine’s safety and cannot be a giveaway to Putin.”
In a reply to the thread, Musk responded, “You’re a traitor.”
PHOTO: Sen. Mark Kelly in Washington, Nov. 20, 2025 and Elon Musk in Washington, Mar. 9, 2025. (Getty Photos)
Kelly, a former Navy pilot and astronaut, responded in a separate submit on X.
“Traitor? Elon, for those who do not perceive that defending freedom is a primary tenet of what makes America nice and retains us protected, perhaps you must go away it to these of us who do,” wrote Kelly, whose current journey marked his third go to to Ukraine since 2023.
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Kelly later elaborated, telling reporters that the billionaire was “not a severe man” who ought to “return to constructing rockets.”
“He mentioned he is slashed and burned the federal authorities to make room for a large tax reduce for billionaires like himself,” Kelly mentioned someday after his return from Ukraine, which was his third go to. “I’ve sworn an oath to this nation. I’ve flown in fight. I’ve served within the Navy for 25 years. It seems to me the oath that Elon Musk stands by is the oath to billionaires – make their lives simpler, not the American individuals, not veterans. I imply, he is firing employees at VA hospitals. He is not a severe man. He ought to return to constructing rockets.”
In the identical dialogue, Kelly mentioned that his journey had been “emotional” at instances, as he met with Ukrainian officers, embassy employees, and navy leaders.
“That is existential for them, and once more, over the previous week or so, we have made it tougher for them,” Kelly mentioned.
He harassed the urgency of offering Ukraine with crucial munitions and intelligence to stop additional casualties.
“If they do not get the munitions which can be sitting on the opposite aspect of the border, extra Ukrainians will die,” he mentioned. “And these of us, I inform you, my conversations with them, they are going to keep on with us. We keep on with them. They are going to be there for us sooner or later, it doesn’t matter what we want.”
PHOTO: Sen. Mark Kelly visits Ukraine in a photograph he posted to his account on X. (@SenMarkKelly/X)
The feedback from Musk, certainly one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisers, comes weeks after an explosive meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy within the Oval Workplace that devolved right into a shouting match. In the course of the beautiful alternate, Trump and Vice President JD Vance rebuked Zelenskyy for his dealing with of the conflict, falsely blaming the Ukrainian chief for a battle that started when Russia’s Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion.
After the assembly, Zelenskyy left with out signing an settlement that will have given the U.S. entry to Ukraine’s mineral sources, which the nation had hoped would make sure the continued circulate of U.S. navy assist because it battles Russia.
PHOTO: Sen. Mark Kelly speaks to reporters within the Senate press gallery on the Capitol in Washington, Mar. 10, 2025. (Ben Curtis/AP)
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Trump’s administration has launched into a dramatic pivot away from the “ironclad” backing of Ukraine practiced by former President Joe Biden’s administration. Trump has falsely blamed Ukraine for beginning the conflict with Russia, referred to as Zelenskyy a “dictator” and frozen navy help and intelligence assist in a bid to power Ukraine into making concessions to Russia.
Kelly, together with different Democrats, have been critical of Trump’s approach with Ukraine.
“If we abandon our ally Ukraine, we might be seen by different international locations together with our different allies as untrustworthy and sooner or later we should not anticipate their assist,” Kelly posted to X.
PHOTO: Elon Musk arrives for President Donald Trump’s handle to a joint session of Congress within the Home Chamber of the Capitol in Washington, Mar. 4, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP by way of Getty Photos)
Kelly and Musk have feuded prior to now. When Musk attacked Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen final month, calling him “an fool,” Kelly and his brother Scott Kelly, additionally an astronaut, pushed again.
“Hey @ElonMusk, whenever you lastly get the nerve to climb right into a rocket ship, come speak to the three of us,” Kelly wrote.
Musk calls Sen. Kelly a ‘traitor’ over trip to Ukraine, Kelly hits back initially appeared on abcnews.go.com
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