Trump publicly labeled Engoron a “Trump Hating Radical Left Judge” and made derogatory comments about the judge’s family. As the trial progressed, his attacks intensified, leading to a surge in credible threats against Engoron and his staff. A state court official described the response as a “deluge” of threats, underscoring the real-world dangers of Trump’s rhetoric.
Trump’s attacks extend beyond social media. He has voiced his disdain during public appearances and even while testifying in court, where he described Engoron as a “very hostile judge.” His inflammatory remarks have heightened tensions surrounding his legal proceedings, raising serious concerns about judicial integrity and the safety of those involved.
Elon Musk has similarly leveraged social media to attack individuals criticizing him or his platforms. A prominent incident occurred in March 2023 when Musk responded to posts on X (formerly Twitter) that falsely identified 22-year-old Ben Brody as affiliated with a neo-Nazi group.
It all started in June 2023, when a brawl erupted between neo-Nazi groups and the Proud Boys at a Pride event in Oregon City. In the aftermath, far-right social media accounts falsely identified Ben Brody, a 22-year-old Jewish college student from California, as a member of the neo-Nazi group Rose City Nationalists. They didn’t stop there, though. These accounts went on to claim that Brody was actually an undercover federal agent, part of a “false flag” operation. Musk amplified these false claims by suggesting it was a “probable false flag situation.”
During his deposition related to this case, Musk acknowledged that he may have caused more financial harm to X than good through his controversial online behavior. He admitted to using alternate accounts on X to engage with critics but downplayed the seriousness of Brody’s situation by suggesting that the real plaintiff was not Brody but rather his attorney seeking monetary compensation.
Using his massive following of over 180 million users, instead of fact-checking or exercising caution, Musk decided to amplify these baseless claims. On June 27, 2023, he posted: “Looks like one is a college student (who wants to join the govt) and another is maybe an Antifa member, but nonetheless a probable false flag situation”. This tweet, which Musk has never taken down, has been viewed over 1.2 million times.
For Brody, the consequences were immediate and devastating. He later described experiencing “severe degree of mental stress, anguish, fear, personal embarrassment, and psychological harm”. The harassment became so intense that Brody and his family were forced to flee their home. Can you imagine being 22 years old and suddenly finding yourself at the center of a viral conspiracy theory endorsed by one of the world’s richest and most influential men? Brody expressed his fears about the long-term impact, saying, “Being falsely associated with a neo-Nazi group could seriously hurt my chances of getting a job in the future.”
In October 2023, Brody decided to fight back. He filed a defamation lawsuit against Musk, seeking damages in excess of $1 million. The lawsuit didn’t mince words, stating that Musk’s “personal endorsement of the false accusation against Ben Brody reverberated across the internet, transforming the accusation from anonymous rumor to gospel truth for many individuals”.
When Musk was deposed in March 2024, his responses were less than sympathetic. He claimed he didn’t even know who Ben Brody was, telling Brody’s attorney, “I think you’re the one suing.” Musk also argued that he didn’t believe he had “meaningfully harmed” Brody while acknowledging his tendency to make “self-inflicted wounds”.