Liz Cheney Takes a Swipe at Elon Musk’s U.S. Citizenship

Former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney took a jab at billionaire Elon Musk‘s U.S. citizenship in a post on social media Wednesday.

Newsweek reached out to X (formerly Twitter) via email to contact Musk for comment.

Why It Matters

Cheney criticized Musk after he posted about the former lawmaker’s earlier career with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The USAID has made headlines this week after the Trump Administration announced it was gutting the program.

The USAID, established in 1961, tackled epidemics, fought global food insecurities, funded education, and has played a pivotal role in U.S. foreign policy.

On its website this week, the agency announced that all direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave, “with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs,” the website said.

What To Know

Earlier Wednesday, Musk reposted a comment from Mike Benz, the executive director for the Foundation For Freedom Online, speaking on Cheney’s history with the USAID saying, “Liz Cheney, who led Trump’s impeachment and the mass imprisonment campaign against thousands of Trump supporters, was spawned out of USAID.”

Musk reposted it saying, “Interesting.” In response to Musk, Cheney said, “Damn right, @Elon. I’m proud of what America did to win the Cold War, defeat Soviet communism, and defend democracy. Our nation stood for freedom. You may be unfamiliar with that part of our history since you weren’t yet an American citizen.”

Musk was born in South Africa and lived there for nearly two decades before emigrating to Canada alongside his family. Musk then lived in the United States while attending the University of Pennsylvania. Musk became a U.S. citizen in 2002, according to his biography written by Walter Isaacson.

Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney is seen receiving the Presidential Citizens Medal from then U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 2, 2025. (Photo by Chris Kleponis / AFP) (Photo…

What People Are Saying

Trump-ally Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on X on Wednesday: “So apparently USAID financed ultra-progressive Politico in Brussels and basically the entire left-wing media in Hungary under the previous US administration. And they called me ‘disruptor of the year’… I think the world owes a debt of gratitude to President @realDonaldTrump for uncovering and putting an end to this dark conspiracy.”

Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, said to Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Tuesday in part: “The USAID are screaming like they’re part of a prison riot because they don’t want us reviewing the spending. But that’s all Mr. Musk is doing. And he’s finding some pretty interesting stuff.”

Kennedy added that this is “Just what the President said he was going to appoint Musk to do.”

Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, of Minnesota, on X on Wednesday: “USAID saves lives, promotes stability, and supports people in crisis. I joined Minnesota Now on @MPRnews to talk about how people around the world will quite literally lose their lives and why Elon Musk and Trump don’t have the authority to dismantle it.”