Why is Elon Musk obsessed with a euthanized pet squirrel?

Ever since he started stumping for Donald Trump at rallies across the US, Elon Musk’s social media posts have become more frequent and frenzied. But one cause in particular has recently captured the attention of the world’s richest man: the plight of Peanut the squirrel.

Over the weekend, the billionaire entrepreneur posted roughly 20 times about the animal, claiming that its “execution” at the hands of officials in New York was an example of “government overreach” and using its alleged “martyrdom” to push claims of Democratic authoritarianism.

Peanut — also known by the aliases P’Nut or PNUT — was an orphaned squirrel that became a social media star after being taken in by Mark Longo in 2017. Along with another rescue animal, Fred the racoon, he was taken from Longo’s home on Wednesday by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The agency said it had gotten complaints that wildlife was being kept illegally and potentially unsafely at the home and confirmed on Friday that Peanut and Fred had been euthanized so they could be tested for rabies, after the squirrel bit someone involved in the investigation.

Before his death, tens of thousands of users on Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms had followed Peanut as he sported tiny hats, performed tricks and nibbled on waffles clutched in his little paws.

“The government should not be allowed to barge into your house and kill your pet! That’s messed up,” Musk wrote on X on Saturday evening in reply to his own post, showing an AI-generated squirrel dressed as a Star Wars character. “Even if it is illegal to have a pet squirrel (which it shouldn’t be), why kill PNut instead of simply releasing him into the forest!??”

“Government overreach kidnapped an orphan squirrel and executed him …” he added.

It is unclear exactly why the billionaire has become so obsessed with the story of Peanut specifically, though he is known for his love of memes and pop culture, as well as trolling others online. Since his death, Peanut has become something of a martyr for the online MAGA movement.

Musk himself has since used the story to push scare-mongering claims about the Democratic Party’s stance on other issues including gun laws, crime, and legacy media.

A meme post pinned to the top of Musk’s X account — which has almost 203 million followers — claims “if they will raid a house for a squirrel, they will sure as shit come after you.”

Replying to a post from a user, which stated that a “taxpayer funded agency raiding a man’s house to murder his rescue pets is just plain evil,” Musk wrote “yeah!” “Also, the legacy media says you’re far right if you care about the government killing pet squirrels …” he added.

In reply to another post claiming that Democratic states “seem to care more about euthanizing squirrels than arresting burglars and drug dealers,” Musk replied, baselessly, “worth noting that criminals vote overwhelmingly for Democrats, because they are the soft-on-crime party.

“The Democratic Party is literally the party of criminals! Just a statement of fact.”

Another meme, shared by the billionaire, appeared to cynically address the Democrats’ stance on the Second Amendment and stricter gun control laws. “Support the right to bear arms!” he said.

“It is NOT ok for the government to barge into your home and kill your pets!” Musk wrote elsewhere. “What has become of the Land of the Free?” In a separate post, he added: “President @realDonaldTrump will save the squirrels… RIP P’Nut.”

Since the deaths of Peanut the squirrel and Fred the raccoon, Longo has vowed that the state’s decision “will not go unheard,” but declined to specify his next possible steps.

New York state law requires people to get a license if they wish to own a wild animal. Longo has said he was working to get Peanut certified as an educational animal.

“Honestly, this still kind of feels surreal, that the state that I live in actually targeted me and took two of the most beloved animals on this planet away, didn’t even quarantine them. They took them from my house and just killed them,” he said.

A request for comment was sent to the DEC on Saturday by the Associated Press.

Longo said he started caring for Peanut after the animal’s mother was hit by a car in New York City seven years ago. Fred the raccoon was dropped off on his doorstep a few months ago. After helping the animal recover from injuries, Longo said, he and his wife were planning to release the creature into the woods.