Ariana Grande's mother slammed Elon Musk after he tweeted that the government should lift lockdowns and 'give people their freedom back'

• Tesla CEO Elon Musk is being slammed on Twitter after he posted that Americans are under "de facto house arrest" and that the government should "FREE AMERICA NOW."
• On Wednesday, singer Ariana Grande's mother chimed in, saying that Musk is "a disgrace" and urging people to boycott Tesla.
• Musk has been outspoken about the coronavirus crisis, downplaying the severity of the pandemic and plugging the benefits of controversial malaria drug chloroquine.
• While some states have begun reopening, the majority of the US population is still under some form of lockdown.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is getting slammed following tweets he posted early Wednesday morning protesting the US lockdowns — and even singer Ariana Grande's mother has chimed in.

In multiple tweets on Wednesday, Musk praised the state of Texas for beginning to reopen its retailers, saying that businesses should "reopen with care & appropriate protection, but don't put everyone under de facto house arrest." In another tweet, Musk said the government should "give people their freedom back." One post said simply, "FREE AMERICA NOW."

On Tuesday, CNBC reported that Tesla had scrapped its plans to bring employees back to work at its Fremont, California, plant after local officials extended orders that limit Tesla's ability to resume its full operations.

Musk's tweets have sparked support from some of his followers, as well as backlash among doctors, tech workers, Musk fans, and Joan Grande, the mother of pop star Ariana Grande.

"How incredibly irresponsible of you," Joan Grande tweeted on Wednesday. "... and you think you are a person of science and technology ... you're a disgrace."

Grande said she would now have to "get rid of my TESLAs" and called for others to "#BoycottTesla."

Musk has been vocal on Twitter throughout the coronavirus crisis, downplaying the severity of the disease, posting incorrect information that children are "essentially immune" to COVID-19, and plugging the benefits of the malaria drug chloroquine, which could be used to treat the disease but is scientifically unproven. Federal health agencies have advised caution in prescribing the drug.

Musk has also been outspoken about the work Tesla is doing to supply medical devices to hospitals, though his efforts have become controversial as critics have questioned whether he was delivering the machines most-needed to help COVID-19 patients.

The majority of US states are still under some sort of lockdown as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US has risen over 1 million. While some states have begun easing restrictions — including Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee — 85% of the US population is still being asked to stay at home.

Read the original article on Business Insider