MAGA vs. Musk: Right-wing critics allege censorship, loss of X badges
A handful of conservative critics of Elon Musk are alleging censorship and claiming they were stripped of their verification badges on X after challenging his views on H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers.
Why it matters: The H-1B issue and an X post by Musk ally Vivek Ramaswamy about America's culture of "mediocrity" have sparked an online MAGA civil war over immigration and race. Some supporters of President-elect Trump are now turning on Musk and the tech bros Trump has tapped for key administration roles.
Between the lines: The claims of "censorship" on X are difficult to verify.
- Since Musk purchased Twitter and implemented sweeping staff cuts, it's often been difficult to get answers as to whether or why certain accounts or posts have been minimized. X did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
- Conservatives have long blamed "shadow bans" for censoring them on social media even when there hasn't been explicit proof. However, Musk's X has often been hailed by conservatives as a bastion of free speech.
Driving the news: Trump's conspiracy-minded ally Laura Loomer, New York Young Republican Club president Gavin Wax and InfoWars host Owen Shroyer all said their verification badges disappeared after they criticized Musk's support for H-1B visas, railed against Indian culture and attacked Ramaswamy, Musk's DOGE co-chair.
What they're saying: In response to a user who said replies were being hidden from her posts, Loomer stated that there is a "full censorship of my account simply because I called out H-1B visas. This is anti-American behavior by tech oligarchs."
- "Insane that blue checks are being removed from accounts that have been vocal in their criticism of the H1B racket," Wax said.
- "I just lost my verification...was told my account is 'under review,'" Shroyer said.
- Those updates from the three critics were posted around the same time Thursday night. There has been no official response from Musk or X.
The other side: A few hours before those posts, Musk shared in a post that the X "algorithm is trying to maximize unregretted user-seconds."
- "If far more credible, verified subscriber accounts (not bots) mute/block your account compared to those who like your posts, your reach will decline significantly."
- He later said that "any accounts found to be engaged in coordinated attacks to spam target accounts with mute/blocks will themselves be categorized – correctly – as spam."
How it happened: Loomer helped spark the H-1B debate earlier this week by criticizing a Trump appointee's previous support for allowing more highly skilled workers to enter the U.S.
- Musk weighed in Wednesday, saying America had too few "talented" and "motivated" engineers and needed "to recruit top talent wherever they may be."
- Loomer's stream of posts since then has included criticisms of Musk and racist claims about Indian people. She has also been backed up by Trump-world allies like Steve Bannon in her efforts to split Big Tech and MAGA.
- "Loomer is trolling for attention. Ignore," Musk posted on X.
Flashback: Musk has a history of punishing news organizations and journalists he doesn't like, ostensibly for policy violations.
- He threatened to reassign NPR's account handle last year and marked some links to the site as "unsafe" when users click through.
- Musk also removed the verification badge of The New York Times in 2023.
- X also suspended independent journalist Ken Klippenstein's account after he shared Sen. JD Vance's vetting document from the alleged Iranian hack of Trump's campaign.
Go deeper: MAGA civil war breaks out over American "mediocrity" culture
