A heated exchange unfolded when billionaire and head of department of government efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk labelled Senator Mark Kelly, D-Ariz, a “traitor” following Kelly’s Ukraine visit and his subsequent support for continued US assistance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Kelly, whose background includes service as a Nasa astronaut and Navy combat pilot during Operation Desert Storm, toured Ukraine during the weekend. After meeting Ukrainian military personnel and medical staff, he expressed on social media that his observations reinforced the necessity to “can’t give up on the Ukrainian people.” “Just left Ukraine. What I saw proved to me we can’t give up on the Ukrainian people. Everyone wants this war to end, but any agreement has to protect Ukraine’s security and can’t be a giveaway to Putin,” said Kelly along with a series of post about his visit and “why it’s important we stand with Ukraine.”
In response to the post, Musk gave a short reply saying, “You are a traitor”.
Later, Kelly hit back at the owner of X saying, “Traitor? Elon, if you don’t understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do.”
This confrontation follows Trump’s recent Oval Office encounter with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which also resulted in collapse of a crucial minerals deal which was expected to be signed between the two nations.
The Trump administration’s stance towards Ukraine and Russia has faced criticism across party lines. Under President Biden, bipartisan Congressional support has enabled substantial aid to Ukraine’s defence efforts.
Meanwhile, previous tensions existed between Musk and Kelly, despite Kelly’s former role on SpaceX‘s safety advisory panel. In February, during a Fox News interview with Trump, Musk claimed Nasa astronauts were stranded on the International Space Station due to “political reasons”. He also criticised Kelly, his twin brother Scott Kelly, and Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen, calling Mark Kelly a “Dem donor shill”.
Kelly’s response was direct at the time sayin, “Hey @ElonMusk, when you finally get the nerve to climb into a rocket ship, come talk to the three of us.”