Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and owner of X, was spotted at the United States Capitol on Wednesday, where he revealed that he would be attending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before Congress.
Musk was invited to the event as a guest of Netanyahu’s, and he confirmed his plans to attend when questioned by Kelly Phares, a Fox News producer.
Musk’s appearance at the Capitol comes as Netanyahu prepares to address a joint meeting of the House and Senate at 2:00 p.m. The Israeli Prime Minister was invited to speak in June, and his visit is expected to be closely watched by lawmakers and diplomats.
Musk’s interest in Israeli politics and his relationship with Netanyahu are not new. In January, he attended a conference organized by the European Jewish Association at Auschwitz, where he spoke about the importance of combating online antisemitism. During his visit, Musk referred to himself as “aspirational Jewish,” sparking interest in his personal views on Jewish identity.
In November, Musk visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza, a community that was heavily affected by Hamas terrorist attacks in October 2023. During his visit, Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged Musk to do more to combat Jewish hate on his social media platform, X.
Musk has faced criticism in the past for allowing antisemitic content to spread on X, as well as for making comments that appeared to support antisemitic theories. In October, he also faced backlash for endorsing a pro-Palestinian terror account on X, although he later deleted the endorsement.
Despite these controversies, Musk’s attendance at Netanyahu’s speech suggests that he remains committed to engaging with Israeli politics and addressing issues related to antisemitism and hate speech.
