Elon Musk Has Spent the Final Days Before the Election Posting About Peanut the Squirrel

Billionaire X proprietor Elon Musk has go 1 of erstwhile president Donald Trump’s astir important backers. Since Musk endorsed Trump successful July, helium has pulled retired each the stops to enactment his candidacy. Musk has donated more than $100 million to his Trump-supporting America PAC; helium criss-crossed the plaything authorities of Pennsylvania holding municipality halls; he’s spoken astatine Trump rallies successful Butler, Pennsylvania, and New York City; hosted Trump for an interview connected X; and enactment the afloat value of the societal media level helium owns down Trump’s statesmanlike bid.

But with specified days to spell earlier the polls open, Musk spent the play posting connected X mostly astir a squirrel.

Specifically, Peanut, an orphaned favored squirrel adopted by Mark Longo, a nonmigratory of New York state. Videos of Longo with Peanut garnered hundreds of thousands of views connected TikTok and Instagram. Longo besides had adopted a favored raccoon named Fred. But connected October 30, according to the Associated Press, section authorities officials responded to anonymous complaints astir the animals, and some were euthanized aft the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) removed them from Longo’s home.

“On Oct. 30, DEC seized a raccoon and squirrel sharing a residence with humans, creating the imaginable for quality vulnerability to rabies. In addition, a idiosyncratic progressive with the probe was bitten by the squirrel,” the DEC said successful a statement. “To trial for rabies, some animals were euthanized.”

Longo posted astir the incidental connected Instagram, and it gained steam connected societal media implicit the weekend. A GoFundMe for Longo entitled “Call for Justice for Peanut the Squirrel and NYSDEC Reform” has presently raised much than $150,000.

Musk seized connected the story, posting oregon reposting astir the incidental connected X astatine slightest 20 times betwixt Saturday and Sunday, framing it arsenic an illustration of authorities overreach, peculiarly by Democratic party-run governments.

“The authorities should not beryllium allowed to barge into your location and termination your pet! That’s messed up,” Musk said in 1 post that garnered 23.7 cardinal views. “Even if it is amerciable to person a favored squirrel (which it shouldn’t be), wherefore termination PNut alternatively of simply releasing him into the forest!?” In another, which racked up much than 35 cardinal views, he asked, “why is the Democratic Party truthful cruel?”