Elon Musk Mocks Canada's Justin Trudeau by Sharing Real Images of Him in 'Brownface,' Various Costumes, Then Credited Them to AI Tool

By Giuliano De Leon

Feb 24, 2024 06:03 AM EST

Elon Musk has mocked Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by sharing real photos of him in "brownface" and different ethnic costumes on X, formerly known as Twitter, and then sarcastically crediting them to Google's Gemini AI tool.

(Photo : ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk laughs as he talks to media as he arrives to visit the construction site of the future US electric car giant Tesla, on September 03, 2020 in Gruenheide near Berlin.

Elon Musk Took a Dig at Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by Sharing Real Photos Credited to Gemini AI Tool

According to Western Standard, Elon Musk posted Thursday four photos of Justin Trudeau wearing "brownface" and costumes not belonging to his own culture. India Today reported that these images are authentic and not AI-generated.

Mocking the Canadian Prime Minister, the tech billionaire captioned the collage of images with, "I can't believe Gemini made these unfair pics of Truedough."

Musk's jab comes amid a row over the Gemini AI tool misrepresenting race in a historical context. On Thursday, Google temporarily suspended its Gemini AI image generation feature following reports of "inaccuracies" in historical images.

The temporary suspension aims to address the reported inaccuracies and "improved" the software feature.

"We're already working to address recent issues with Gemini's image generation feature. While we do this, we're going to pause the image generation of people and will re-release an improved version soon," Google noted.

Read Also: Elon Musk Gets Into Heated Exchange With Stephen King After the Author Refused to Call Twitter by Its New Name X

What Are the Images of Justin Trudeau Shared by Elon Musk

According to India Today, Justin Trudeau wearing the kippah was taken in a meeting with Jewish leaders in 2015, while the donning of the ceremonial indigenous headdress happened at Tsuut'ina First Nation in 2016.

Trudeau wore the saffron cloth at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, in 2018, while he was seen with "brownface" makeup at an Arabian Nights-themed party in 2001. Time Magazine reported that this 2001 party happened at the West Point Grey Academy, the private school where he taught.

Commenting on Elon Musk's post, Canadian freelance writer Hanya Toderoff asked why the real images are labeled "unfair."

"How can real pictures be labelled 'Unfair'? This is the real Trudeau," Toderoff wrote on X.

This is not the first time the X owner has taken a dig at Trudeau. In 2022, he tweeted a meme comparing the Canadian Prime Minister to German dictator Adolf Hitler in response to Canada's COVID-19 vaccine mandates, but he later deleted it.

Last year, Musk also accused Trudeau of trying to suppress free speech in Canada through regulatory controls on online streaming services and content creators, labeling these moves repressive and "shameful."

Related Article: Nobel Peace Prize 2024: Elon Musk Nominated for Being a 'Stout Proponent of Free Speech,' and Allowing Ukraine to 'Communicate'

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