Although X — formerly known as Twitter — has lost a considerable number of advertisers in recent weeks amid a coordinated campaign to portray the platform and its owner, Elon Musk, as purveyors of antisemitism and other forms of hate speech.
While that narrative has spread widely among leftist politicians, many of the Democratic Party’s most prominent figures and entities seem to recognize the importance of reaching a massive audience of X users. Recent reports indicate that even some of Musk’s most ardent critics have increased their advertising budget on the site.
Party leaders implemented a ban on such ads following Musk’s acquisition, but that was rescinded earlier this year. Since then, Democrats have accounted for more than $1 million in advertising revenue for the social media company.
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and spent more than $90,000 on X ads despite his very public feud with Musk.
Earlier this year, the California Democrat denounced Musk’s decision to meet with GOP lawmakers, asserting: “I am deeply concerned with how he’s running that company into the ground.”
Schiff went on to claim that Musk’s acquisition of Twitter “seems like a vanity project that is going wrong with an explosion of hate speech on that platform.”
Those remarks came after he accused the billionaire of “turning a blind eye to hatred and bigotry” since taking control of the company. That December 2022 post prompted Musk to respond that Schiff’s “brain is too small.”
💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/W1F3tiAari
— Monica Crowley (@MonicaCrowley) December 18, 2022
Since then, Schiff has apparently prioritized the massive reach that X can provide over his own talking points, becoming one of the most prominent Democratic advertisers on the platform in recent months.
Of course, this spending is not likely to offset the losses that the platform has sustained since major advertisers have pulled their money from the site. For his part, however, Musk has remained adamant that he will not be swayed by the whims of corporate bullies.
Asked for his response to Disney and other prominent companies that halted their X ads in recent months, Musk said last month: “If someone is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money? Go f— yourself. Go f— yourself. Is that clear?”
He then called out Disney CEO Bob Iger, adding: “That’s how I feel; don’t advertise.”
Just days later, Musk asserted that Iger should be “fired immediately,” claiming that “Walt Disney is turning in his grave over what Bob has done to his company.”
