Arizona Senator Mark Kelly has responded again to Elon Musk after the tech billionaire doubled down on an insult branding the Arizona senator – a decorated war hero – a “traitor” because he traveled to Ukraine to support wounded soldiers.
Kelly, who is also a former astronaut, told CNN that Musk was aligning himself with “a bunch of billionaires” with values that were “much closer to Russia.”
The world’s wealthiest man previously sparked criticism on both sides of the political aisle after describing Kelly as a “traitor” earlier this month, following the senator’s trip to Ukraine.
In an interview with Fox News’ Special Report on Thursday night he defended his remarks. “I think somebody should care about the interests of the United States above another country, and if they don’t they’re a traitor,” Musk told Fox News host Brett Baier.
Even Baier paused to remind Musk of Kelly’s accolades.
“That doesn’t mean it’s OK for him to put the interests of another country above America,” Musk replied.
Kelly said a short time later on CNN: “I don’t even know if he deserves a response.”
He added: “What I will say is that I’ve spent an entire career standing up for our country, defending our country, flying in combat over Iraq, flying in space on the space shuttle, serving in the United States Senate.”
Kelly noted: “My entire life has been about serving this country, and I always stand with the best interests of our nation. And I will tell you this … standing with our allies and standing up for democracy is in the best interest of the United States.”
Musk’s original remarks came after Kelly posted to X about his trip to Ukraine, pushing for continuing support for the nation amid its ongoing war with Russia and in pursuit of peace in the region. “Everyone wants this war to end, but any agreement has to protect Ukraine’s security and can’t be a giveaway to Putin,” Kelly posted.
“You are a traitor,” Musk wrote in reply.
In the CNN interview on Thursday, Kelly questioned the Tesla CEO’s motivations.
“I mean, who is Elon standing with at this point? A bunch of billionaires?” he asked, adding that he views Musk as being “much closer to Russia on this issue” than the U.S. regarding the ongoing conflict.
He added: “I want this thing to end as much as anybody. But he throws this ‘traitor’ word around — at least with regards to me — fairly freely. I don’t think he’s a serious guy, and he hasn’t given this a lot of thought.”
Kelly ditched his Tesla earlier this month to protest Musk’s initial insult and because the DOGE hatchet man is taking a wrecking ball to the nation.
“Every time I get in this car in the last 60 days or so, it reminds me just how much damage Donald Trump and Elon Musk are doing to our country, talking about slashing Social Security, cutting health care benefits for poor people, for seniors [and] firing veterans. It’s one bad thing after the next,” he emphasized in a videotaped statement on social media.
He traded the Tesla for a new 2025 Chevy Tahoe Z71.
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