Biden takes aim at Musk over 'working illegally' in US; Tesla CEO labels him a 'puppet'

US President Joe Biden took a potshot at South Africa-born Elon Musk for his stance on immigration, citing a report that the Tesla CEO had allegedly worked illegally in the United States.

The report, published by The Washington Post, claimed that Musk arrived in Palo Alto, California in 1995 on a student visa to attend Stanford University but never enrolled in courses, instead focusing on his startup.

“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?” Biden said.

Musk denied the allegations on X, saying, "I was in fact allowed to work in the US." He further accused Biden of lying, referring to him as "The Biden puppet."

The Washington Post's report mentioned that investors in Musk's company, Zip2, were worried about the possibility of his deportation and set a deadline for him to obtain a work visa. The newspaper also referenced a 2005 email from Musk to his Tesla co-founders, submitted as evidence in a now-closed California defamation lawsuit, in which he acknowledged not having authorization to be in the US when he started Zip2.

The email also said that Musk had applied to Stanford to maintain legal status in the country.

Musk, currently the world's wealthiest individual, has pledged over $70 million to support Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and other GOP candidates in the upcoming election.

He has been a prominent figure at events leading up to the election, often echoing Trump's negative rhetoric on immigration. Trump has said that he would offer Musk a position in his administration if he wins the election.

Neither X nor Tesla immediately responded to requests for comment from Musk regarding the matter.