NEW YORK — Tesla CEO and close aide to President-elect Donald Trump, Elon
Musk, joined the wave of online trolling directed at billionaire George Soros,
following US President Joe Biden's decision to award him the Presidential Medal
of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the US.
Musk’s meme post comparing Soros to a Star Wars villain has
quickly gained traction across social media.
The meme depicts Soros as Sheev Palpatine, also known as
Darth Sidious, from the Star Wars saga. In the film series, Palpatine appears
as a kind, democratic ruler while secretly plotting to take control of the
galaxy as the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Musk's meme suggested that Soros might
similarly be hiding his true motives while presenting himself as a
philanthropist, with the caption, "George Soros looking quite good here.
Must be the lighting".
The post added a layer of humour, which sparked widespread
attention.
The trolling came after President Biden named Soros as one
of the 19 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday. The
White House lauded Soros for his contributions to global democracy, human
rights, education, and social justice through his Open Society Foundations.
Other recipients included former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, football
legend Lionel Messi, and actors Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington.
Musk's comments are just the latest in a series of
controversies surrounding Soros. The billionaire investor and philanthropist
has long been a target of criticism, particularly from conservative figures.
In addition to the online uproar in the US, Soros has been
at the centre of a political storm in India. During the Winter Session of
Parliament in December, BJP President J.P. Nadda accused the Congress of being
linked to Soros and his organisations, alleging that they were being used as
tools by foreign forces to destabilise India. Nadda specifically referenced
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s alleged connections to Soros-funded initiatives.
However, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge swiftly
dismissed these claims as baseless, accusing the BJP of trying to distract from
critical socio-economic issues facing the country. The spat led to several
adjournments in both houses of Parliament.
