Elon Musk calls Jewish US Army officer ‘puppet & puppeteer’

Musk's tweet – deliberately or not – evoked an antisemitic trope that Jews control positions of power.

NOVEMBER 28, 2022 01:32

Updated: NOVEMBER 28, 2022 15:39

Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, testifies before a House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry into US President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, November 19, 2019. (photo credit: REUTERS/JONATHAN ERNST) — Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, testifies before a House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry into US President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, November 19, 2019.

(photo credit: REUTERS/JONATHAN ERNST)

Elon Musk called Jewish American retired US Army officer Lt.-Col. Alexander Vindman both a "puppet & puppeteer" on Monday in response to Vindman sharing a copypasta (copied and pasted text shared on the Internet) suggesting that Musk is "erratic" and too powerful now that he owns Twitter.

"Vindman is both puppet & puppeteer. Question is who pulls his strings … ?" Musk tweeted.

Musk's tweet was in response to another one by Tablet magazine Chief Technology Officer Noam Blum mocking the copypasta, which said that it's "Kinda weird that @elonmusk gets to decide how like a half-billion people communicate. Way too much power for one erratic individual to wield, don't you think?"

Vindman is both puppet & puppeteer. Question is who pulls his strings … ?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 27, 2022

The exact text of Blum's tweet is: "BLEEP BLOOP KINDA WEIRD THAT @ELONMUSK GETS TO DECIDE HOW LIKE A HALF-BILLION PEOPLE COMMUNICATE BLEEP. WAY TOO MUCH POWER FOR ONE ERRATIC INDIVIDUAL TO WIELD, DON'T YOU THINK BLOOP?", implying that users who share the aforementioned copypasta are bots, or programmed to think a certain way.

Jennifer Williams, a special adviser to Vice President Mike Pence for European and Russian affairs and Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, testify at a House Intelligence Committee hearing in Washington, US, November 19, 2019. (credit: REUTERS/LOREN ELLIOTT)

Musk's tweet – deliberately or not – evoked an antisemitic trope that Jews are puppeteers who secretly wield power over various institutions or that they are puppets of the Israeli government.

Who is Lt.-Col. (ret.) Alexander Vindman?

Vindman was the Director for European Affairs for the US National Security Council. He rose to public prominence after testifying before Congress regarding the Trump-Ukraine scandal, involving a quid pro quo that then-president Donald Trump allegedly offered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.