'Tell Me You're Trolling Us': Elon Musk's Twitter CEO Replacement Linda Yaccarino Already Facing Backlash Before Official Takeover
Elon Musk’s newly announced replacement, Linda Yaccarino, came under fire from both Democrats and Republicans before she was even officially named Twitter’s new CEO, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a sudden development to come after Musk announced he would be stepping down as CEO of Twitter on Thursday, the 51-year-old tech billionaire confirmed on Friday that Yaccarino would be taking over as the chief executive of the platform.
“I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter!” Musk tweeted on Friday. “[Yaccarino] will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology.”
“Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app,” he added.
Meanwhile, Yaccarino – who previously served as chairman of global advertising at NBCUniversal – confirmed she was stepping down from her role with the company amid the news Musk was eyeing for her to be his replacement at Twitter.
“It has been an absolute honor to be part of Comcast NBCUniversal and lead the most incredible team,” Yaccarino said in a statement Thursday.
“We’ve transformed our company and the entire industry,” she continued, “and I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and grateful to my colleagues and mentors, especially Brian Roberts, Mike Cavanagh and the entire NBCU leadership team.”
But within hours of departing NBCUniversal for Twitter, Yaccarino came under fire from the left when it was revealed she was appointed to Donald Trump’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition in 2018.
“New Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino seems like a certified MAGA supporter,” tweeted political consultant and former Justice Democrats staffer Max Berger.
“[Yaccarino] was appointed by then-President Trump to a council alongside Herschel Walker and Dr. Oz in 2018,” he added.
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She also came under fire from the right when it was revealed Yaccarino currently serves as chairman of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Taskforce on Future of Work.
“She still serves on a WEF board, which is a huge red flag,” tweeted former One American News host Liz Wheeler. “But interesting to note, I thought.”
“Please, [Musk], tell me you’re trolling us, Linda Yaccarino!” wrote another pro-Trump Twitter user. “You may as well put Rachel Maddow in charge of Twitter.”
Despite the backlash against Yaccarino from both the left and the right, other political and media sources spoke out in her defense following the news she is officially set to take over for Musk as Twitter’s CEO.
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“People are already unfairly attacking her for her ties to different organizations and because she follows certain accounts here on Twitter,” liberal commentator Ed Krassenstein said. “Let’s not judge Yaccarino until we see what she is able to do for Twitter.”
“Here’s the deal. Yaccarino is an anti-woke moderate who cares about free speech and has deep ties to the advertising industry,” added American Moment president and outspoken conservative Saurabh Sharma.