Biden calls out Elon Musk and Twitter at Chicago-area fundraiser - CNN

CNN  — 

President Joe Biden on Friday called retired Elon Musk, saying the billionaire had purchased a societal media level that “spews lies each crossed the world.”

“Elon Musk goes retired and buys an outfit that spews lies each crossed the world,” the president said astatine a Democratic fundraiser successful Rosemont, Illinois, conscionable extracurricular of Chicago, according to the pool.

“There’s nary editors anymore successful America,” helium added.

The president’s remarks followed quality Friday that Twitter had laid disconnected thousands of employees crossed the institution – a terrible circular of outgo cutting that could perchance upend however 1 of the world’s astir influential platforms operates 1 week aft it was acquired by Musk.

The acquisition was rapidly followed by reports of a surge successful racist comments and hatred code connected the platform, and respective large advertisers paused campaigns connected Twitter successful caller days.

White House property caput Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters earlier Friday that Biden has been “outspoken astir the value of societal media platforms continuing to instrumentality steps to trim hate code and misinformation.”

“That content extends to Twitter, it extends to Facebook and immoderate different societal media platforms wherever users tin spread misinformation,” she continued.

Shortly earlier quality of his acquisition broke past week, Musk wrote an unfastened letter attempting to reassure advertisers that helium does not privation the societal web to go a “free-for-all hellscape.”

He tweeted Friday greeting that Twitter has seen a “massive driblet successful revenue,” which helium blamed connected “activist groups pressuring advertisers,” and aboriginal addressed the layoffs tweeting that “unfortunately determination is nary prime erstwhile the institution is losing implicit $4M/day.”

Departing employees were offered 3 months of severance, helium wrote.