U.S. Democratic Senator Mark Kelly responded to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's recent disparaging remarks by announcing that he would give up his Tesla car in favor of a fuel vehicle. Musk recently called Kelly a "traitor" for his visit to Ukraine. Kelly, also a retired U.S. astronaut and Navy veteran, dismissed the comments.
"He's like a 12-year-old kid," Kelly said of Musk. "So I don't take him seriously."
In addition to publicly criticizing Musk, Kelly also announced that he would give up his current Tesla car. "When I bought this thing, I had no idea it would become a political issue," he added.
The senator recently said this was the last time he would drive a Tesla to work because it reminded him of "the harm that Elon Musk and Donald Trump have done to our country."
Kelly said Trump and Musk are "talking about cutting" Social Security and Medicare benefits, "and it's one bad thing after another."
"It's important to, you know, do the right thing. I felt like it was time to get out of it. Elon Musk turned out to be an asshole," he said.
Kelly later revealed that his new car was a General Motors Chevrolet Tahoe, which he said was built by UAW union workers, saying "it's always better to buy a union car."