Special Poll
A number of conservative critics of Elon Musk are accusing him of censorship, claiming they lost their verification badges on X after challenging his stance on H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers.
Why it matters: The debate surrounding H-1B visas, along with a post by Musk ally Vivek Ramaswamy about America’s culture of “mediocrity,” has ignited a divide within the MAGA movement over immigration and race. Some of President-elect Trump’s supporters are now turning against Musk and the tech figures he has appointed to key roles in his administration.
Between the lines: Verifying the claims of “censorship” on X is tricky. Since Musk’s purchase of Twitter and subsequent staff cuts, it has been harder to get clear answers about why certain accounts or posts are downranked. X has not responded to Axios’ request for comment.
Conservatives have long accused social media platforms of “shadow banning,” claiming their accounts are suppressed even without direct proof. Yet, Musk’s X has generally been praised by conservatives as a platform that champions free speech.
Driving the news: High-profile Trump supporters like Laura Loomer, Gavin Wax, and Owen Shroyer have all reported losing their verification badges after criticizing Musk’s position on H-1B visas, attacking Indian culture, and criticizing Ramaswamy, Musk’s co-chair for DOGE.
What they’re saying: Loomer, in response to a user who complained about hidden replies, claimed that her account was being “fully censored” because she spoke out against H-1B visas, calling it “anti-American behavior by tech oligarchs.”
Wax echoed the sentiment, saying, “Insane that blue checks are being removed from accounts that have been vocal in their criticism of the H1B racket.”
Shroyer shared his experience, saying, “I just lost my verification…was told my account is ‘under review.’”
These updates from Loomer, Wax, and Shroyer appeared around the same time on Thursday night, with no official response from Musk or X.
The other side: Just hours before those posts, Musk shared that X’s algorithm aims to “maximize unregretted user-seconds.” He explained that if more verified accounts mute or block your account than engage with your posts, your reach will significantly decline.
Musk also added that accounts involved in “coordinated attacks” on others would be classified as spam.
Loomer sparked the H-1B debate earlier this week by criticizing a Trump appointee’s past support for expanding the number of skilled workers allowed into the U.S. Musk weighed in, stating that America needs to recruit top talent from wherever it can find it due to a lack of “talented” and “motivated” engineers.
Loomer’s posts since then have included further criticisms of Musk, as well as racist remarks about Indian people. She has received backing from Trump-aligned figures, including Steve Bannon, as she continues her efforts to drive a wedge between Big Tech and the MAGA movement.
Musk responded, saying, “Loomer is trolling for attention. Ignore.”