Tech billionaire Elon Musk has sparked controversy after appearing to deliberately misspell the name of Indian-origin politician Zohran Mamdani in a social media post endorsing Mamdani&rsquo;s rival, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in the upcoming New York City mayoral election.
In his post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk urged voters to back Cuomo, writing, &ldquo;Bear in mind that a vote for Curtis is really a vote for Mumdumi or whatever his name is. Vote Cuomo!&rdquo; The comment immediately drew widespread criticism for what many perceived as racist undertones.
Zohran Mamdani, 34, a Democratic Socialist, is contesting against 67-year-old Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the primary. 
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa is also in the race. 
Mamdani&rsquo;s campaign has focused on housing affordability, free public transport, and child care, issues that have helped him gain momentum in recent polls.
Mamdani, the son of Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani and Indian filmmaker Mira Nair, would become New York City&rsquo;s first Muslim mayor if elected. 
His name has frequently been mispronounced by rivals, including Cuomo and Sliwa, as well as Democratic ally Letitia James. 
However, Musk&rsquo;s apparent intentional misspelling has been viewed as particularly disrespectful.
The post&rsquo;s comment section was flooded with criticism. 
Crstl Tech CEO Dipti Desai wrote, &ldquo;You can sorely dislike one&rsquo;s policies, but butchering a person&rsquo;s name on purpose is a third rate, middle-schooler tactic. Oh wait&hellip;&rdquo;
Journalist Mehdi Hasan added, &ldquo;You can take the boy out of apartheid but can you really take the apartheid out of the boy?&rdquo;
Another user remarked, &ldquo;One of the easiest tells that someone is racist is when they purposely mispronounce coloured people's names that are actually very easy to read.&rdquo;
Many others condemned Musk&rsquo;s tone, calling it &ldquo;childish, racist behaviour&rdquo; and &ldquo;disrespectful.&rdquo; 
One user commented, &ldquo;Musk, why are you so obsessed with propping up rapists and washed-up predators?... names that aren&rsquo;t white or billionaire-adjacent must short-circuit your apartheid-brain wiring.&rdquo;
The backlash adds to growing scrutiny of Musk&rsquo;s social media activity, where his comments have frequently drawn accusations of insensitivity and discrimination.

Elon Musk faces backlash over racist remark

Musk sparks outrage for mocking NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s name in X post

Elon Musk Faces Backlash For Mocking Mamdani

Musk sparks outrage for mocking NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s name in X post

November 4, 2025 | 16:27 IST