Tesla CEO Elon Musk has described stay-at-home orders as “fascist” in a renewed stab at containment measures authorities claim are designed to slow the coronavirus pandemic.
During a Tesla earnings call on Wednesday, April 29, Musk lashed out at the way federal and state authorities are responding to the crisis caused by COVID-19.
“I would call it, ‘forcibly imprisoning people in their homes’ against all their Constitutional rights, in my opinion, and breaking people’s freedoms in ways that are horrible and wrong and not why people came to America or built this country,” Musk said according to CNN and other news outlets. “It’s an outrage. Give people back their goddamn freedom,” he added.
Read Also: Tesla Shows Off Their New Ventilator Made With Model 3 Parts
FREE AMERICA NOW
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2020
The comments came after a tweet earlier in the day in which Musk praised Texas for lifting some of the restrictions. Replying to a comment on said tweet, Musk said: “Yes, reopen with care and appropriate protection, but don’t put everyone under de facto house arrest.”
In other tweets, he wrote “Free America now” and “Give people their freedom back!” Tesla CEO’s tirade is the latest in a long line of tweets downplaying the threat of the pandemic. Like many, Elon Musk seems frustrated with the authorities’ response to the coronavirus pandemic.
His opinions don’t seem to be influenced by warnings from public health officials that social distancing is still necessary to avoid a second wave of infections that could again overwhelm hospitals.
Bravo Texas! https://t.co/cVkDewRqGv
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2020
In early March, Musk tweeted: “The coronavirus panic is dumb,” just as public health officials were trying to convince the public of the seriousness of the threat posed by the virus. On March 19, he also tweeted: “My guess is that the panic will cause more harm than the virus, if that hasn’t happened already.” That same day, he made a forecast: “Based on current trends, probably close to zero new cases in U.S. too by end of April.” He later claimed that “kids are essentially immune” to the virus.
While anyone is entitled to an opinion, some people could argue Musk’s stand on lockdown orders is influenced by the damage they do to Tesla, which was ordered to close its plant in Fremont, California on March 23. Recently, the order was extended to the end of May. In the earnings call on Wednesday, the executive said the extended restrictions pose a “serious risk” to Tesla’s business, as the California plant builds the majority of the company’s cars.
“It will cause great harm not just to Tesla but to many companies,” he said, adding that many of the EV maker’s suppliers are struggling. “This is not democratic, this is not freedom,” he added.