Elon Musk’s father labels Michael Collins ‘a rat and a scoundrel’ in bizarre radio interview

The businessman and politician defended his son’s controversial comments on Irish prison sentences.

The 79-year-old was speaking on Newstalk's The Hard Shoulder, when he told host Kieran Cuddihy: "Remember what a scoundrel Michael Collins was.

"They should have done him in right in the beginning, don't you think? The scoundrel. Rat. The lies he told. Remember all the lies he told?"

- "If Elon said it, it's probably correct."
- "No, it's not."

Kieran Cuddihy speaks with Elon Musk's father, Errol Musk, about his son's tweets...and Michael Collins, on @TheHardShoulder. pic.twitter.com/2NBr6Vyc6t

— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) January 10, 2025

While it seemed as though the father of the world's richest man was sarcastically comparing his son's social media tirade to the famed republican's campaign of rhetoric against British colonial rule, using terms like 'rat' and 'scoundrel' to refer to one of Ireland's most-adored historical figures was bound to trigger a response from the public.

One X user took to the comments section under the clip to voice his thoughts on the South African's words, writing: "The mask dropped quickly once challenged. He’s a gobshite like his son."

Another added: "Do not fall into the trap of giving musk or any of his family or cronies airtime on national broadcasts. He’s irrelevant to our country. Leave him be."

One other user wrote: "Immediate redirection from Musk Snr to slandering Michael Collins once he was proven wrong. A snake, like his son."

Earlier this week, Elon Musk claimed that illegal immigrants get shorter prison sentences in Ireland compared to Irish nationals in a tweet that was heavily criticised.

Citing a case from 2000, Musk alleged that a judge told a foreign man, who was being sentenced for rape, that if he was Irish he would have got a harsher sentence.

Irish citizens get longer sentences than illegal immigrants. That’s messed up. https://t.co/ck1Mgq6SbP

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 8, 2025

Errol Musk defended his son’s remarks when pressed on the issue by Kieran Cuddihy, telling him: "If Elon said it, it’s probably correct."

He continued by suggesting that the Irish government were "incredibly kind in bringing people from third-world countries and giving them a break."

"When you start overdoing it and start getting those people more consideration than the actual citizens, that’s not a good idea," he added.