During a recent interview on the Joe Rogan Experience, Tesla CEO Elon Musk called recent Wuhan coronavirus shelter-in-place orders “unconstitutional” just days after reports appeared implying that Tesla’s Fremont plant may begin production again soon in violation of lockdown orders.
In an appearance on episode number 1,470 of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Tesla CEO Elon Musk discussed a number of topics including the recent Wuhan coronavirus shelter-in-place orders which he believes are “unconstitutional.”
Musk stated during the interview that some of the restrictions violate freedom of assembly and that Americans should be concerned about the “massive infringement” on civil liberties. Musk stated that people fought and died for freedom and democracy and that “we should treasure that and not give up our liberties too easily. I think we probably did that.”
During the interview, Musk claimed that he knew people that had been infected by the Wuhan coronavirus but none that had died, and advised that “proper hygiene is a good thing, no matter what,” and that sick children should avoid the elderly regardless of their illness.
Musk stated: “My opinion is, if somebody wants to stay home, they should stay home, and if somebody does not want to stay home, they should not be compelled to stay home. That’s my opinion. And if somebody doesn’t like that, well, that’s my opinion.”
Breitbart News reported this week that a source recently told the San Francisco Chronicle that Tesla is preparing to restart car production at its factory in Fremont, California, potentially violating local and state shelter-in-place orders.
Workers reportedly returned to the Fremont plant on Wednesday to prepare for a reopening of some production lines between now and next week, a source familiar with factory operations told the SF Chronicle. The source stated that a handful of employees returned to the factory floor to prepare and that additional safety measures have been put in place to guard against Wuhan coronavirus transmission.
A spokesperson for the Fremont Police Department stated that there were no plans to visit the factor when informed by the SF Chronicle of reports of the partial return to work. Department spokesperson Geneva Bosques stated: “We’re all sort of in a little bit of a gray area,” referring to Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement this week that some retail, manufacturing, and logistics businesses would be allowed to operate on a limited basis if safety measures were put in place and local authorities approve.
Breitbart News reported last month that Musk attacked government lockdowns as “fascist” during a rant on the firm’s Q1 2020 earnings call. Musk called lockdown orders “forcibly imprisoning people in their homes against all their constitutional rights.”
Musk stated that he was concerned about not being able to resume operations at Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California, stating that the possibility of not resuming production should be considered “a serious risk,” given that Tesla produces most of its cars there in addition to its production factory in Shanghai.
Musk attempted to continue operations at the Fremont facility but was ordered to close by the Alameda county Sherrif. Musk recently spoke out about government restrictions on Twitter but during Wednesday’s earnings call encouraged government officials to invest in infrastructure while praising China for having “much better” infrastructure than the United States.
“This is the time to think about the future, and also to ask, is it right to infringe upon people’s rights as what is happening right now?” Musk said. “I think the people are going to be very angry about this and are very angry. It’s like somebody should be, if somebody wants to stay in the house that’s great, they should be allowed to stay in the house and they should not be compelled to leave. But to say that they cannot leave their house, and they will be arrested if they do, this is fascist. This is not democratic. This is not freedom. Give people back their goddamn freedom.”
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.