Martina Navratilova labels $342.8B-worth Elon Musk a 'parasite' over his controversial remarks on federal aid recipients

Martina Navratilova is widely considered to be one of the best tennis players of all-time. While the American retired from the sport in 2006, she has continued to maintain her platform, and recently lashed out at billionaire Elon Musk.

On February 13, Musk, who is valued at $342 billion by Forbes, took to his X account to share a meme that featured a photo of American actress Sydney Sweeney smiling, with text that read:

"Watching Trump slash federal programs knowing it doesn't affect you because you're not a member of the parasite class."

Since then, the Tesla CEO has been under fire for the alleged implication that those who benefit from U.S. federal programs, including elderly and disabled people, are "parasites". An X user took to the platform to criticize Musk, writing:

“For the rest of my life, I will never understand how a country full of people busting their asses, working paycheck to paycheck, allow the fucking richest guy on Earth to call them "parasites" while calling the Social Security we contributed to our entire lives "a Ponzi scheme." It will NEVER make sense.”

In response, Martina Navratilova tweeted:

“If there is a parasite here, it’s musk.”

On February 4, Navratilova took to X to share her opinion on Musk’s handling of the social media platform.

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Martina Navratilova shares her opinion on Elon Musk’s handling of X

Navratilova at the Laureus World Sports Awards Madrid 2024 (Image Source: Getty)

Last month, Martina Navratilova tweeted:

“Musk didn’t f**k up this platform-he changed it to suit his needs. Algorithms etc- a perfect example was yesterday Beyoncé winning but it’s her daughter who is trending #1??? He has gamed the system and now he is the system, and not just on X.”

As a tennis player, Navratilova first rose to fame in 1978, after winning the Wimbledon singles title. The American would go on to win 17 more Grand Slam singles title, and 41 Grand Slam doubles titles, making her one of the most successful players of all time.

Navratilova retired from the sport in 2006, and currently lives in Miami with her wife Julia Lemigova and their two children. Since her retirement, the tennis star has consistently used her platform to share her political opinions.