In a recent interview with CNBC's David Faber, Elon Musk declared that he would continue to express his opinions on Twitter without concern for the impact it might have on his businesses or financial standing.
Faber questioned Musk about his tweeting behavior, specifically highlighting instances where Musk appeared to endorse conspiracy theories, including antisemitic narratives targeting Democratic megadonor George Soros, who is a Jewish Holocaust survivor and frequently subjected to right-wing attacks.
Referring to a tweet from the previous day, in which Musk claimed Soros "wants to erode the very fabric of civilization" and "hates humanity," Faber sought clarification. Musk simply replied, "Yeah, I think that's true. That's my opinion," leaving Faber somewhat slackjawed.
You can hear what Musk said in the video below.
After an uncomfortably long pause, Musk invoked a scene from the iconic 1987 film The Princess Bride, which he commended as a "great movie."
Drawing inspiration from the character Inigo Montoya's confrontation with Count Tyrone Rugen, played by Christopher Guest, who murdered Montoya's father, Musk misquoted:
"'Offer me money. Offer me power. I don't care.'"
He continued, paraphrasing the film:
"I'll say what I want to say, and if the consequence of that is losing money, so be it."
Musk's reference to the film resonates with the memorable line uttered by Montoya, played by Mandy Patinkin, as he seeks vengeance:
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
As the climactic encounter between Inigo Montoya and Rugen unfolds, Montoya finds himself on the brink of vanquishing his father's killer. In this pivotal moment, he utters the immortal words that have clearly resonated with Musk, "Offer me money," followed by, "Power, too, promise me that."
Twitter users found Musk's film reference to justify his antisemitic rants utterly cringeworthy.
Musk's defense of his conspiracy theory regarding the perpetrator behind the tragic mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas on May 6 also sparked criticism.
Despite evidence to the contrary, Musk disputed the identification of the shooter as a neo-Nazi even though authorities swiftly conducted an investigation, revealing that he possessed "neo-Nazi ideation," as affirmed by Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Hank Sibley during a recent news conference.
