Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, sparked a firestorm on social media Wednesday over comments questioning DOGE chief Elon Musk’s allegiance to the United States given that he has been a citizen for “only” 22 years.
“Mr. Musk has just been here 22 years,” Kaptur said outside the Capitol on Wednesday. “And he’s a citizen of three countries. I always ask myself the question, with the damage he’s doing here, when push comes to shove, which country is his loyalty to? South Africa? Canada? Or the United States? And he’s only been a citizen, I’ll say again, 22 years.”
Kaptur, who has served in Congress since 1983, drew immediate criticism on social media from conservatives accusing Kaptur of hypocrisy and using language that Republicans would be pilloried for using.
“Just like @elonmusk, I immigrated LEGALLY and pledged my full loyalty to America,” Ohio GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno posted on X. “But Democrats just see us as cheap labor who pick their crops and mow their lawns. If you step out of line & question their liberal narrative, they say you don’t belong here. It’s disgusting.”
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Rep. Marcy Kaptur questioned Elon Musk’s allegiance to the United States on Wednesday. (Getty/AP)
“Rep Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) is now a nativist when it comes to Elon Musk,” Greg Price of the White House Rapid Response team posted on X.
The White House’s official rapid response account also posted on X, saying, “@RepMarcyKaptur is now questioning the loyalty of American citizens. This is a new low.”
“A really bad thing for Marcy Kaptur to say,” Taxpayers Protection Alliance President David Williams posted on X. “Is she really saying this about immigrants?
Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman posted on X that Kaptur’s comment was a “new tone for House Democrats…”
“Marcy Kaptur’s disgusting remark questioning Elon Musk’s loyalty based on his immigrant background exposes the Democrat Party’s descent into nativist rhetoric – the very thing they claim to oppose,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“Their hypocrisy is clear: they champion open borders when it benefits them but resort to xenophobic attacks when an immigrant doesn’t align with their political agenda.”
“Only immigrant the Democrats aren’t for,” National Review editor Ramesh Ponnuru posted on X.
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Elon Musk arrives before President Donald Trump speaks at the Future Investment Initiative Institute summit in Miami Beach, Florida, Feb. 19, 2025. (Pool via AP)
“This is the attack they want to make?!” Republican communicator Matt Whitlock posted on X. “That Elon has only been a citizen for 22 years? The Trump administration continues to be blessed with the absolute dumbest opposition I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Macarena Martinez, communications director for GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, posted on X. “If a Republican said this they would be cancelled”
Kaptur, 78, previously signed onto a House resolution in 2019 condemning President Trump for alleged xenophobic comments.
“This resolution states that immigrants and their descendants have made America stronger and naturalized citizens are just as American as those whose families have been in the United States for generations,” the resolution stated.
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Rep. Marcy Kaptur speaks to journalists outside of the U.S. Capitol. (Getty Images)
“It also expresses a commitment to keep America open to those who lawfully seek refuge from violence and oppression and those willing to work hard to achieve the American Dream, regardless of race, ethnicity, faith, or country of origin.”
Musk has continued to draw the ire of Democrats in recent weeks for his cuts to federal spending and government programs. At the same time, polling suggests most Americans agree with DOGE’s mission.
Kaptur’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
