AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Rep. Ro Khanna, a leading progressive lawmaker representing the heart of Silicon Valley, said liberals shouldn't flee Elon Musk's X, instead urging his fellow Democrats to engage with those who share opposing beliefs.
Khanna made the comments on an episode of Politico's Power Play podcast this week amid an exodus of liberal users from X to Bluesky.
The social networking platform, which has billed itself as a progressive alternative to Musk's site, surpassed 21 million users this month, up from 13 million in October.
"I don't think the answer is for progressives to disengage," Khanna told Politico. "The idea is that in a marketplace of ideas, over the long term, the truth emerges."
The California lawmaker described himself as a "free speech person" who uses X "all the time" and suggested Democrats remaining on the platform is akin to liberal lawmakers appearing on conservative news outlets like Fox News to share their message with as wide an audience as possible.
Khanna, who has a longstanding relationship with Musk, cited his own interactions with the billionaire on X as evidence of the kind of common ground people can find online.
On Monday, Khanna posted a clip of himself on CNN talking about the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which President-elect Donald Trump has tasked Musk and fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy with leading.
"When it comes to cutting waste, fraud, and abuse and opening the 5 primes to more competition, there are Democrats on HASC who will work with @elonmusk and @DOGE," Khanna wrote on X.
Musk subsequently retweeted the post, saying, "Cool!"
Khanna reiterated his willingness to work with Musk, who has become an advisor to Trump in recent months, on Politico's podcast this week. He said he agreed with cutting costs, citing defense spending.
"That is an area, being on the armed services committee, where I will work with someone like Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy if they can actually help break the monopolies of these defense contractors," Khanna said.
Last year, Khanna praised Musk as an entrepreneurial "genius" but criticized the Tesla CEO's controversial online behavior, including his posting of edgy memes.
Khanna has described himself as a "technology optimist" and said he supports a balance of regulation and ethics in the digital space. The lawmaker introduced an Internet Bill of Rights in 2018 focused on online privacy, but the legislation has been stalled in Congress.
