Tech magnate Elon Musk on Sunday tried to tackle public backlash to his recent post on X (formerly Twitter), in which he seemed to validate an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about Jewish people espoused by another X user. “This past week, there were hundreds of bogus media stories claiming that I am antisemitic,” Musk posted on X this Sunday afternoon. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” he continued. “I wish only the best for humanity and a prosperous and exciting future for all.”

The fresh wave of media backlash came after Musk responded, “You have said the actual truth,” to an X post that repeated an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory suggesting Jews want to flood the nation with minority groups from elsewhere. The post read: “I’m deeply disinterested in giving the tiniest shit now about western Jewish populations coming to the disturbing realization that those hordes of minorities that support flooding their country don’t exactly like them too much.” Musk’s apparent validation of this message had instant consequences, as Apple, Disney and other corporations pulled their ads from the platform.

Multiple public officials reprimanded the X owner, including the White House, which stated, “It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of antisemitism in American history at any time, let alone one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.” While some 2024 Republican Party presidential candidates, including Chris Christie (former New Jersey Governor), criticized the statement on the Sunday shows earlier, others ducked.

Ron DeSantis (Florida Governor) sparred with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday morning when questioned whether he would denounce the post, at first stating he had not seen the post. When Tapper read the post loud and clear, DeSantis still refused to denounce it, stating he would first want to see the full context and insisting that Tesla CEO has long had a target on his back. “Well, because I haven’t seen it,” DeSantis said on CNN’s “State of the Union” when asked about the post. “I know you tried to read, I have no idea what the context is. I know Elon Musk. I’ve never seen him do anything. I think he’s a, he’s a guy that believes in America. I’ve never seen him indulge in any of that. So it’s surprising if that’s true, but I have not seen it. So I don’t want to sit there and pass judgment on the fly.”

Although Musk denied accusations of antisemitism he did not offer any further explanation for the post. Musk has faced accusations of using antisemitic rhetoric in the past and has had an edgy relationship with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization that claims to combat hate and antisemitism. The Anti-Defamation League has been the subject of Musk’s wrath, particularly after the ADL published a report documenting the increase in antisemitic incidents after he acquired the company X formerly known as Twitter.