After Kamala Harris' elephants analogy, Musk goes on about pandas in bizarre rant

Elon Musk went on a ‘save the baby pandas’ rant during an interview on Thursday

Published on: May 2, 2025, 12:58:27 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Only a day after former Vice President Kamala Harris was trolled for her analogy on elephants, a video of close Trump ally Elon Musk, talking about saving baby pandas, surfaced on social media. The Tesla chief and some members of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team sat down for a round table with Fox News' Jesse Watters on Thursday. Musk explained to Watters how programs misuse grants, using pandas as a point of reference.

Elon Musk spoke about baby pandas in a recent interview (AP)

At one point during the discussion, Musk started talking about baby pandas and how programs claiming to save these animals don't have even a ‘show panda’.

“Generally, these programs and grants will be along the lines of save the baby pandas, and it's like, of course, who would not want to save the baby pandas? In some cases, they've got a show panda which they will bring out for special occasions, but in a lot of cases, they don’t even have a show panda. There isn't even one panda. We ask for pictures, and we don't even get one panda,” the billionaire said.

After Musk's panda rant, even the host joked: “You really want to see a baby panda,” The two chuckled before moving on.

This comes after several social media users trolled Kamala Harris for using an elephant analogy, recalling the moment a herd protected their calves during an earthquake in San Diego.

"Okay, it’s kind of dark in here, but I’m asking for a show of hands — who saw that video from a couple of weeks ago, the one of the elephants at the San Diego Zoo during the earthquake?" she asked the crowd in her first major speech since the 2024 election loss.

"Google it if you’ve not seen it."

On Thursday, it was Musk who was trolled for his panda rant.

“First the penguins and now the pandas...” one social media user wrote, referring to the Trump administration pushing tariffs on a region with no human population.

“Elon, show us your savings and we’ll show you our pandas,” another one added on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

Stay updated with US News covering politics, crime, weather, local events, and sports highlights. Get the latest on Donald Trump and American politics along with Horoscope 2026.