Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk suggested on Twitter last week that no one over the age of 70 should be allowed to hold public office.
“Let’s set an age limit after which you can’t run for political office, perhaps a number just below 70…” he Tweeted.
While he did not specifically name any politician, President Joe Biden just turned 79 in November and is the oldest president in U.S. history. Sen. Bernie Sanders is also among the oldest in Congress at 80 years old.
Musk and Sanders have recently butted heads on social media. In November, Sanders tweeted that “[we] must demand that the extremely wealthy pay their fair share. Period.”
Musk, one of the wealthiest people in the world, fired back at Sanders by tweeting, “I keep forgetting you’re still alive.”
The billionaire later tweeted at Sanders again, writing, “Want me to sell more stock, Bernie? Just say the word…”
One Twitter user added to the exchange, tweeting that Bernie “is the kind of guy that shows up to a potluck with no dish but Tupperware containers to take food home.”
Musk apparently agreed with the user’s comment, adding, “Bernie is a taker, not a maker.”
Sanders has a history of condemning the ultra-rich, but shifted from criticizing “millionaires and billionaires” to just going after billionaires once he became a millionaire himself.
The owner of three homes, Sanders has long advocated for socialist policies, and in 1972 said he didn’t mind being called a communist.
“I don’t mind people coming up and calling me a communist,” Sanders said, according to the Washington Examiner. “At least, they’re still alive.”
Before spending 30 years in Congress, Sanders endorsed Socialist Workers Party candidates whose platforms included plans to demolish the United States military and nationalize most industries, the Examiner reported.
In November, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley echoed Musk’s comments and said old political leaders should be subjected to “cognitive [tests].”
“[We] seriously need to have a conversation that if you’re going to have anyone above a certain age in a position of power – whether it’s the House, whether it’s the Senate, whether it’s vice president – you should have some sort of cognitive test,” Haley said in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network.
“Right now, let’s face it. We’ve got a lot of people in leadership positions that are old. And that’s not being disrespectful. That’s a fact,” Haley continued. “When it comes to that, this shouldn’t be partisan. We should seriously be looking at the ages of the people that are running our country and understand if that’s what we want.”
