President Joe Biden sharply criticized Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a prominent Trump supporter, accusing him of hypocrisy on immigration policies. Speaking at a Democratic campaign event in Pittsburgh, Biden claimed Musk, now among the world’s wealthiest individuals and a vocal GOP donor, had started his U.S. career as an “illegal worker” by working without proper authorization.
Biden’s remarks, delivered Saturday, underscored Musk’s current alignment with the Trump campaign, contrasting it with his early days in America. “That wealthiest man in the world turned out to be an illegal worker here when he was here,” Biden said. He noted that Musk originally came to the U.S. on a student visa but began working instead of pursuing his intended studies, violating visa conditions. “He’s talking about all these ‘illegals’ coming our way,” Biden added, highlighting Musk’s recent remarks against undocumented immigrants.
The president also called out Trump and the Republican Party for what he called inaction on comprehensive immigration reform, stating, “We have fewer people crossing the border illegally now than at any time since [Trump’s] third year as President.” The Trump campaign has not yet responded to Biden’s statements.
Musk has taken an increasingly political stance, supporting Trump-backed initiatives and, in recent weeks, holding rallies in Pennsylvania, where he promoted Trump’s policies. In a high-profile initiative, Musk’s pro-Trump group, America PAC, offered registered voters in swing states a chance to win $1 million, part of a petition drive aimed at boosting Trump’s base.
Biden’s remarks follow a Washington Post investigation that reported Musk initially worked without a U.S. work visa. Legal documents and correspondence cited in the report reveal Musk arrived in the mid-1990s on a student visa intended for graduate studies at Stanford but did not enroll. Instead, he pursued business ventures, co-founding Zip2, his first tech company, with his brother. According to sources involved, Zip2 investors pressured Musk to secure a work visa, fearing their founder’s potential deportation.
The 1999 sale of Zip2 for around $300 million provided Musk with significant capital to fund later ventures, including Tesla and SpaceX. SpaceX has since grown into a major aerospace contractor for the U.S. government, helping Musk amass a net worth currently estimated at $274 billion, according to Forbes.
Musk’s political activity has drawn attention to his views on immigration. Recently, he has used his platform, X (formerly Twitter), to advocate for tighter immigration policies, claiming “open borders” are detrimental to the U.S. Musk has also promoted unverified claims about noncitizens voting in U.S. elections—allegations widely debunked by research, including studies from the Brennan Center for Justice, which found voter fraud and impersonation are exceedingly rare.
Biden’s comments add a new layer to the ongoing debate over Musk’s political activism and stance on immigration, spotlighting the divergence between his early experiences and current policy positions. As both campaigns advance, the scrutiny over Musk’s role as a megadonor and Trump surrogate could intensify, particularly regarding the immigration narrative he has helped to amplify.
