‘He Forgot He Wasn’t on the Burner’: Elon Musk Sparks Outrage For Using a Slur to Curse Out Grad Student Days After Calling for Positivity on X

Elon Musk is a self-proclaimed champion of free speech, but a litany of reports suggests that his leadership of Twitter, since rebranded as X, has been a catalyst for racist banter and never-ending account suspensions on the platform. However, one person protected from the consequences of violating community guidelines is the tech mogul. According to the Daily Beast, the South African billionaire has taken a liking to the various conjugations of “retard,” most commonly recognized as the R-word. The outlet’s analysis of his use of the epithet determined that it occurred at least 14 times in posts published between Dec. 20 and Jan. 6. The term was canceled over a decade ago when Democratic President Barack Obama signed Rosa’s Law, legislation that swapped out “mentally retarded” for intellectual disability in federal health, education, and labor laws. Elon Musk faces blowback for using a slur while cussing out critic. (Photow: Elonmusk/Twitter, Joniaskola/Twitter) The use of the slur has been widely shunned by individuals who view it as demeaning and a form of bullying others. Musk is seemingly not among the population that subscribes to the change. A week into the start of 2025, the Tesla co-founder lashed out at a critic...