Elon Musk pushed back against critics who have likened him and President Donald Trump to Nazis, calling the accusations a smear campaign meant to discredit their efforts to overhaul government, The Hill reported.
In a Fox News interview set to air Saturday on "My View with Lara Trump," the Tesla and SpaceX CEO reflected on a gesture made during Trump's inauguration that critics claimed resembled a Nazi salute. Musk said the interpretation was both inaccurate and intentionally misleading.
"Well, I mean, look, it's a relentless propaganda campaign, which obviously President Trump has experienced for a very long time, 20 years, maybe longer," Musk said. "And politics is a blood sport, so they're going to come up with whatever attacks they can to destroy the public perception of someone."
Musk has faced mounting backlash over his prominent advisory role in the Trump administration. As head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has spearheaded aggressive reforms, including mass layoffs in the federal workforce and budget cuts across numerous government programs.
Democrats have intensified their criticism in recent weeks, not only over Musk's domestic influence but also following reports about his controversial gestures at the inauguration and his perceived role in Germany's recent elections. Musk dismissed the Nazi comparisons as unfounded and offensive.
"Now, obviously, I've not harmed anyone in my life, so it's an outrageous thing to claim that I'm a Nazi," he said while also defending Trump from similar accusations.
The interview also delves into Musk's childhood in apartheid-era South Africa. When host Lara Trump, married to the president's son Eric Trump, asked how that experience shaped his view of the accusations, Musk pointed to the media's power to shape public perception.
"It's disappointing how well propaganda works," he said. "If you repeat a lie, you know, the sort of ‘he's a Nazi lie' enough times, some people actually believe it, especially people that still believe the legacy news, you know."
He continued: "They really are trying every angle to get me … if they could press a button and kill me. In reality, they would press that button immediately. But since … I'm a little difficult to kill. They are doing character assassination instead."
Despite the media backlash, Musk has received support from several high-profile figures, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Anti-Defamation League.
Musk's future in the White House has also been in the spotlight. His current status as a special government employee expires May 30. However, President Trump signaled earlier this week that Musk is welcome to continue serving in the administration indefinitely.
"I do consider the president a friend. I think he considers me a friend, and we get along very well," Musk said. "I think probably if you asked us both the same set of questions in two different rooms, 80 percent of the time, we would come up with the same answer," he added.
"We almost always agree."