Tim Walz appeared to call Elon Musk a “gay man” during his campaign, prompting a swift response from the Tesla boss.
The governor of Minnesota made the comment while speaking out against tax cuts for the wealthy in Michigan – before portraying the billionaire as someone who has benefited from them.
“If you’re a billionaire, say Elon Musk,” the aspiring vice president says in viral clips of the speech, before addressing the apparent gaffe.
“That guy, that gay guy has…”
He continues on his way – before laughing at what Harris’ team now say was a slip.
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Tim Walz appeared to call Elon Musk a “gay man” during his campaign on Friday as he spoke out against tax cuts for the wealthy in Michigan
He portrayed the billionaire as having taken advantage of them, before falling into the apparent blunder
“Michigan knows that word,” 60-year-old Kamala Harris running back said afterward.
The audience starts laughing too – as Walz finishes his thought.
“That guy got a tax cut,” he says, as the clip continues to lose traction on social media.
Among those who noticed this was Musk, who took to his own platform X to provide a response.
In it, the Donald Trump supporter wrote: “I have no problem being called gay,” using a well-known acronym to express his outspokenness.
The answer came within minutes and saw the CEO of
The man behind one of Musk’s favorite digital tokens, Shibetoshi Nakamoto, shared a tongue-in-cheek post in which Musk joked that he was willing to “sleep with him” — prompting another response from the SpaceX boss.
“I think Tim Walz read this message,” Nakamoto wrote, closing the joke with a laughing emoji.
“If you’re a billionaire, say, Elon Musk,” the aspiring vice president says in now-viral clips of the speech, before addressing the apparent gaffe. “That guy, that gay guy has…” He continues – before laughing at what Harris’ team now says was a slip
The comment drew a swift response from Musk, who appeared to dismiss the whole matter
Musk, who recently sent out a message of support for Republican candidate Trump, responded by re-sharing Nakamoto’s tweet, while others responded to the circulating images.
Hashtags like “gays4trump” were the result – and speculation about whether Walz actually intended to make such comments began to swirl.
In an effort to clear up any suspicions, the Harris-Walz campaign subsequently released a statement saying that Walz simply “stuttered” during his story, and that what he actually meant to say was “that guy got it,” a spokesperson said to the New York newspaper New York City. After.
Claiming the candidate tripped over a stray smear from the crowd, he told the newspaper: ‘In the video you can hear someone in the crowd shouting ‘dips**t! when the governor brings up Musk.
“The governor started laughing and stuttering as he tried to say ‘that man has’ – he didn’t call Elon gay,” the representative continued.
His later comments to the Detroit crowd, he explained, were in reference to the insult, the spokesperson added — referring to Walz’s claim that those in attendance “knew that word.”
The creator of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin – one of Musk’s favorite digital tokens – also addressed the widely viewed images, prompting a new response from the SpaceX boss
He recently aired a statement of support for Republican Trump, prompting criticism from the vice presidential candidate
The Harris-Walz campaign went on to clear up any suspicions surrounding the comments, saying Walz simply “stuttered” during his story. Meanwhile, Musk has been the victim of barbs from Walz in the past, with the Democratic vice president hopeful mocking the mogul late last month
He used the same word his team said came from the crowd on Friday to categorize the South African’s dance moves, saying he moved like a “dipsh*t” while dancing on stage during a Trump rally on October 5.
Meanwhile, Musk has been the victim of barbs from Walz in the past, with the Democratic vice presidential candidate recently mocking the mogul by using the same word his team now says came from the crowd.
I’m speaking from the college town of Madison, Wisconsin on October 22, the Minnesota politician accused Musk dancing like a ‘dips***’ – at a raucous rally next to Trump days before.
He recalled how Musk — who supported former President Donald Trump immediately after the July 13 assassination attempt — joined the Republican candidate in his second Butler, Pennsylvania, after he was nearly assassinated there last summer.
“Elon was on that stage jumping around, jumping like a dip***,” Walz said at the time, accompanied by former President Barack Obama.
“That guy is literally the richest man in the world, spending millions of dollars to help Donald Trump buy an election.”
The elections are now only a few days away. Several states – including Michigan and Pennsylvania – are still up for grabs.