Elon Musk posted then deleted a satirical meme on Twitter that compared Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Adolf Hitler.
The Tesla CEO was responding to a Twitter post by the trade publication CoinDesk which reported that the Canadian government was cracking down on crypto transactions aimed at helping the truckers protesting vaccine mandates.
“Stop comparing me to Justin Trudeau,” the meme featuring the likeness of Hitler read. At the bottom, it said: “I had a budget.”
Trudeau has been criticized for invoking the Emergencies Act, which grants authorities the right to clear out protest encampments that have snarled traffic in the capital city of Ottawa for three weeks.
Under the Emergencies Act, which has rarely been invoked during peacetime, the government can also seize truckers’ vehicles and freeze bank accounts, prompting accusations of overreach by Trudeau.
Woman, 20, knocked out a would-be mugger in Crete (photos)
Musk, a frequent critic of government lockdown measures and COVID vaccine mandates, has expressed support for the truckers.
The fierce debate over the Canadian trucker protest has even led Trudeau to accuse his opponents of siding with fascists.
Trudeau sparked outrage on Wednesday in the Canadian House of Commons when he accused a Jewish Conservative Party member of supporting “people who wave swastikas”.
Musk has ties to Canada. His mother, Maye Musk, is a Canadian national. The Tesla boss moved with his family to Canada from his native South Africa at a young age.