President Biden criticizes Elon Musk following report alleging Tesla CEO’s past illegal work status in the U.S.

President Joe Biden accused Elon Musk of hypocrisy on immigration policies after a report surfaced alleging that the Tesla CEO once worked illegally in the United States. Musk, originally from South Africa, has denied the allegation.

Speaking at a union hall campaign event in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Biden remarked, “That wealthiest man in the world turned out to be an illegal worker here. No, I’m serious. He was supposed to be in school when he came on a student visa. He wasn’t in school. He was violating the law. And he’s talking about all these illegals coming our way?”

The Washington Post reported that Musk initially arrived in Palo Alto, California, in 1995 on a student visa to attend a graduate program at Stanford University but never enrolled, choosing instead to work on his startup. The report, citing company documents, former business associates, and court filings, claims Musk lacked legal work authorization at that time.

In response to Biden’s remarks, Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “I was in fact allowed to work in the US,” adding, “The Biden puppet is lying.”

The report also stated that Zip2 investors were concerned about Musk’s immigration status and reportedly gave him a deadline to obtain a work visa. In a 2005 email cited in the report, Musk acknowledged to his Tesla co-founders that he lacked authorization to work in the U.S. when he launched Zip2. The email was submitted as evidence in a California defamation lawsuit and noted that Musk applied to Stanford to legally remain in the U.S.

Now the world’s richest man, Musk has invested over $70 million in support of GOP candidates, including Donald Trump. He has also headlined campaign events, echoing Trump’s rhetoric on immigration. Trump has promised Musk a role in his administration if elected next month.

Representatives for X and Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment.