Texas Elon Musk mural defaced: 'Deny, Defend, Depose'

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - A mural of SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Brownsville, Texas was vandalized earlier this week.

What we know:

A mural of Musk was defaced with the word "Deny, Defend, Depose" painted across his face and an anarchist symbol painted under the mural's left eye.

The words are the same as those written on the bullets used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December.

The mural has since been repainted by the artist, PopC.

What they're saying:

In a post on Instagram, Popc said Musk called a requested a name tag that says "Hello, my name is Luigi M" be added to the mural.

A mural of Elon Musk in Brownsville, Texas is repainted after being defaced. (photo courtesy: Popc)

"Art is about creation, not destruction. When this mural was vandalized, I saw an opportunity—not to erase, but to transform. Now, it carries a new message: Deny destruction. Defend creativity. Depose hate. May this serve as a reminder that true expression builds up rather than tears down. Let’s choose to create, to inspire, and to uplift our community," Popc said in the post.

The backstory:

Musk has been in the spotlight since President Donald Trump took office and established the Department of Governmental Efficiency with the tech billionaire at its helm.

Since establishing DOGE, Musk and his team have dismantled USAID, gained access to sensitive databases and pushed several career officials out of their roles in order to reduce wasteful spending and "maximize governmental efficiency and productivity."

A mural of Elon Musk in Brownsville was vandalized with the words "deny, defend, depose" (photo: Brownsville HOOD News) (Brownsville HOOD News)

Some Democrats, including Texas congressman Marc Veasey have questioned Musk's motives.

Democrats on the House Oversight Commitee tried to subpoena Musk on Thursday. The motion failed after eight members of the committee missed the vote.

What they're saying:

Musk responded to Rep. Ro Khanna's comments on X about missing the vote tell him to not be a "d---" which prompted a response from Texas congressman Marc Veasey, who told Musk "don't throw a coup."

READ MORE: DOGE staffer resigns after racist social media posts resurface

What we don't know:

It's unclear if any charges will be filed for the vandalism.