Hillary Clinton has accused Elon Musk of suggesting he would rape Taylor Swift after he told the pop star: “I will give you a child.”
Mr Musk, the tech billionaire, was widely criticised for writing “fine Taylor… you win… I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life” on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The post was in response to Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, which she signed off as a “childless cat lady”.
The Shake It Off singer was referencing a comment made by JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, that “childless cat ladies” were running the country.
Mrs Clinton, the former secretary of state and New York senator, described Mr Musk’s remarks as “another way of saying rape, I think”.
She told the On with Kara Swisher podcast that the Tesla chief executive’s offer was “rotten and creepy”.
She added: “I can’t understand why he says what he says. It just is beyond my imagination.”
Mrs Clinton characterised Mr Musk, who endorsed her during her 2016 presidential campaign, as one of a number of misogynist tech bosses who “gravitate toward toughness and brutality and machoism”.
She continued: “And here’s Taylor Swift, a self-made billionaire who brings joy to people and who imparts life lessons, particularly to girls and women. They can’t stand it.”