"I Didn't Believe This Was Real..."

No biggie. Just Elon Musk voicing support for a violent coup and the end of US democracy.

On a big news day like Tuesday, it's easy to miss an individual tweet.

But seventeen minutes before the twice-impeached, twice-arrested, lifelong criminal, serial sex predator, and would-be American dictator Donald Trump arrived at the Miami courthouse, exploding carmaker Elon Musk sent one that Simon Rosenberg thinks shouldn't be ignored:

Every Western democracy and everyone here on Twitter needs to see this tweet, and consider what it means, who Elon has become. This is no own-the-libs shit. It's a direct call for the ending of American democracy by force, a violent coup against a sitting American President.

As Helen Kennedy tweeted:

I didn't believe this was real but I went to look and it is. Sulla the Dictator is remembered two thousand years later as a terrifying butcher - the first man to seize power in Rome by force. Thousands died in his bloody purges - on a whim, or so he could take their property.

The tweet in question was a reply to one of Elon's favorite bros, the "Bloke Mind Virus"-afflicted David Sacks, who was peddling some of the latest Zero Hedge conspiracy theories about the Bidens and Burisma to distract from the most corrupt President in history's growing legal troubles.

Elon joined the chat by saying "perhaps we need a modern day Sulla," with a helpful link to the Brittanica article about some ancient Roman who (*checks Britttanica—*) was:

Victor in the first full-scale civil war in Roman history (88–82 bce) and subsequently dictator (82–79)

Sounds bad, right?

What's worse: Elon isn't joking

As Jim Stewartson tweeted:

Elmo is not joking about this. He’s part of a billionaires cult that has convinced themselves that they are so innately superior to us mortals that dictatorship would be for our own good.

Guy Freire added:

Sulla is perhaps the single most repulsive figure from the entire history of Rome and is a dog whistle figure for fascists who are afraid to name their other heroes in polite company

Flint Dibble chimed in:

To literally anyone who knows Roman history, this tweet strongly insinuates that Musk supports a violent coup and political assassinations. Because those were Sulla's actions and legacy.

Of course, there are hundreds more quote tweets and replies to Elon's casual call for civil war, the massacre of his enemies, and the end to US democracy.

And, of course, tweets like this are not unusual in the toxic sludge that Twitter has become under the rule of its infamous Space Karen.

But as Simon Rosenberg says, we probably shouldn't ignore it.

"Consider What it Means, Who Elon Has Become..."

I won't dwell on how crazy having a trans daughter has made him.

I won't try to explain how his apartheid-era upbringing turned him into today's racist, misogynistic, Trump-like internet troll.

I'll just point out that Elon, funded by the Saudi regime that butchered Jamal Khashoggi, is running Twitter exactly like a dictator would.

After grabbing power, he vanquished his enemies, weakened the power of all who would oppose him, and surrounded himself with sycophants.

Meanwhile, in the thuggish MAGA tradition, he's attacked Twitter's most trusted voices—removing blue checks to devalue expertise and reduce the impact of legitimate journalistic credentials.

Musk Is a Traitor to Free Speech the Way Trump Is a Traitor to America

As Twitter's dictator, Musk has amassed 143.5 million followers—by boosting himself above all others, not on the quality of his tweets or the soundness of his ideas, but simply by shoving himself in the face of any users not smart enough to block him.

For all his fans and followers, Musk is modeling how he wants them to act. His version of Twitter is not a "global town square." It's a "pay to play" cesspool. And he's the Troll-in-Chief showing his most rabid supporters how it's done.

To Musk, "free speech" means being free to attack and harass others, spread lies and conspiracy theories, and use slurs and hate speech with no repercussions.

People say that Twitter is not real life. It's scary to think that Elon Musk thinks it should be.

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