Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, signaled potential legal action against Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) following Khanna’s recent remarks targeting Musk on a podcast. Khanna suggested that the Democratic Party should hold Musk accountable if they secured control of Congress.
During the ‘I’ve Had It’ podcast, Khanna criticized Musk’s creation of 4,400 millionaires while accusing him of adversely affecting millions of children globally by dismantling USAID. Khanna claimed Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was responsible, suggesting it might have led to children’s deaths.
Khanna stated, “He needs to answer for that. He needs to be subpoenaed. He needs to face investigation.” Musk responded fiercely to these comments, expressing his intention to pursue legal action in a social media post. He accused Khanna of lying and misinterpreting DOGE’s role.
Musk argued that DOGE’s requirement was merely to verify that aid funds were being used honestly. He linked to a Justice Department press release from 2025 outlining charges against USAID officials for misappropriating funds.
In subsequent posts, Musk accused Khanna of corrupt stock trading practices, referring to him as a “robber.” Khanna, in response, released a video countering Musk’s accusations and reiterating his stance.
Khanna remarked, “Elon Musk threatened to sue me today… Why? Because I cited an academic study that his DOGE cuts may lead to deaths overseas.” He challenged Musk to a debate rather than resorting to legal threats.
Khanna emphasized his previous actions against powerful individuals and organizations, affirming that he would not be intimidated or silenced.
Fox News Digital attempted to secure comments from Tesla and SpaceX, and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.