Leading Democrat representing Silicon Valley urges liberals to stay on X amid Bluesky exodus

• A top Democrat urged other liberals to stay on Elon Musk’s X platform.

• This month, millions of users joined Bluesky, which bills itself as a liberal alternative to X.

• Khanna told Politico that his relationship with Elon Musk is an example of finding common ground.

Rep. Calm down Khannaa leading progressive lawmaker representing the heart of Silicon Valley said liberals shouldn’t escape from Elon Musk’s Xand instead encourages his Democrats to engage with those who share opposing beliefs.

Khanna made the comments on an episode of Politico’s Power Play podcast this week in the middle of a exodus of liberal users from X to Bluesky.

The social networking platform, which has advertised itself as a progressive alternative to Musk’s site, exceeded 21 million users this month, up from 13 million in October.

“I don’t think the answer is there progressives to secede,” Khanna told Politico. “The idea is that in a marketplace of ideas, in the long run, the truth will emerge.”

The California lawmaker described himself as a “free speech person” who uses X “all the time” and suggested Democrats remain on the platform is akin to liberal lawmakers appearing on conservative news outlets like Fox News to share their message with as wide an audience as possible.

Khanna, who has a long-standing relationship with Musk, cited his own interactions with the billionaire on X as evidence of the kind of common ground people can find online.

On Monday, Khanna posted a clip of himself on CNN talking about the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGEwhich President-elect Donald Trump has tasked Musk and fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy to lead.

“When it comes to cut waste, fraud and abuse and opening up the 5 primes to more competition, there are Democrats on HASC who will work with @elonmusk and @DOGE,” Khanna wrote on X.

Musk subsequently retweeted the post, saying, “Cool!”

Khanna reiterated his willingness to work with Musk, who has become an adviser to Trump in recent months, on Politico’s podcast this week. He said he agreed to cut costs, citing defense spending.

“That’s one area, being on the Armed Services Committee, where I want to work with someone like Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy if they can actually help break the monopolies for these defense contractors,” Khanna said.

Last year, Khanna praised Musk as an entrepreneurial “genius,” but criticized the Tesla CEO’s controversial online behavior, including his posting of edgy memes.

Khanna has described herself as a “technology optimist” and said he supports a balance between regulation and ethics in the digital space. The legislature introduced an Internet Bill of Rights in 2018 focused on online privacy, but the legislation has stalled in Congress.

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