Elon Musk attends joint session of Congress as guest of Netanyahu

Billionaire Elon Musk joined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a guest for his joint address to Congress on Wednesday.

Musk confirmed when he arrived in the Capitol that he had received an invite from the prime minister to be in attendance. Netanyahu’s address was the first before Congress following the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which ignited a war in Gaza.

The tech billionaire sat near Netanyahu’s wife, Sara Netanyahu.

The SpaceX executive had traveled to Israel in November in the wake of the Hamas attack. During his trip, he traveled to Kibbutz Kfar Gaza, a community on Israel’s border with Gaza where Hamas had caused devastating terrorism.

“Benjamin Netanyahu was snubbed by the President, Vice President, and tens of Congressional Democrats. Meanwhile, Elon Musk steps up,” a social media user said in reaction to Musk’s appearance.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who normally presides over a joint session with foreign leaders, opted to give a keynote address at the historically black Zeta Phi Beta sorority’s biennial convention in Indianapolis instead of attending Netanyahu’s address. Her appearance in Indiana coincides with Sen. J.D. Vance’s (R-OH), Republican vice presidential candidate, campaigning in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

President Joe Biden was absent from the prime minister’s address but will be delivering a speech tonight on his decision to end his bid for reelection in November. Netanyahu will be meeting with Biden on Thursday and then with former President Donald Trump on Friday at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

While attending the address, Musk corrected the record with reporters about a Wall Street Journal report about his monthly donations of $45 million toward 2024 election efforts.

Trump had touted this report at a Michigan rally earlier this week, saying Musk was donating “$45 million a month” to his campaign.

“At no point did I say that I was going to put $45 million a month to Trump. That was a fiction made up by the Wall Street Journal,” Musk denied the report Wednesday while on Capitol Hill.

Musk added that he planned to spend his “money on ensuring election integrity” and wanted “free and fair elections.”

He was also asked by Capitol Hill reporters whether he would still fight social media mogul Mark Zuckerberg.

“I will fight Zuckerberg any place, any time, any rule,” Musk responded.