Over the weekend, Disturbed singer David Draiman took to social media to address two different figures — Jack White and Elon Musk — regarding unrelated matters. Draiman challenged White’s reaction to the reported U.S. bombing in Iran, while also criticizing Musk over what he views as the spread of misinformation on X.
In the early hours of Saturday (Feb. 28), President Donald Trump announced that the United States had carried out “major combat operations in Iran.” Reports that followed indicated the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, though debate quickly emerged over whether the president’s actions aligned with constitutional requirements.
Amid that debate, Jack White publicly condemned Trump’s decision. Draiman responded with a measured post expressing disagreement with White’s stance, arguing that the Iranian people deserve freedom. As he has done in past public disputes, Draiman signaled he would be open to continuing the conversation either privately or in a public forum to further discuss their opposing perspectives.
Through his Instagram account, White took issue with Trump‘s declaration of war on Iran, sarcastically making note of his position as the “leader of the Board of Peace.”
“Don’t you love seeing him declare war on a country while wearing a trucker hat that says ‘USA’ on it? Behold the leader of the ‘Board of Peace’. For the next war announcement donny, may I suggest having your feet up on the Resolute desk while eating a Big Mac in a velvet track suit? Venezuela, Greenland, Iran, Cuba, what’s the difference right? don jr. and barron won’t have to fight or die, just other people’s children, so…invade and bomb away! New sign ups for the ‘board of peace’ starting at one billion dollars! Can you believe donny hasn’t received a real Nobel Peace Prize yet? Unfair! Maybe in his third term he’ll get one.”
David wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
“Dear #JackWhite,”
“No matter what you may think of other things done by this administration, the campaign to #FreeIran isn’t something you, or anyone for that matter, should be taking issue with. The Iranian people deserve their freedom.”
“I say this with the UTMOST respect. I think you’re an absolutely brilliant artist.”
“I’d love to have the opportunity to talk with you…not debate, about it, anywhere you like, in private, or public, whichever you prefer.”
“Open invitation.”
Dear #JackWhite ,
— David Draiman 🟦🇺🇸🇮🇱✡️☮️ (@davidmdraiman) February 28, 2026
No matter what you may think of other things done by this administration, the campaign to #FreeIran isn’t something you, or anyone for that matter, should be taking issue with. The Iranian people deserve their freedom.
I say this with the UTMOST respect. I… https://t.co/AkIpTXMUbo
This isn’t the first instance of Jack White publicly criticizing President Donald Trump and his administration. Earlier this year, White condemned the president for sharing an A.I.-generated video widely described as racist, which portrayed Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as apes. He also rebuked Trump for referencing filmmaker Rob Reiner’s death in a way that implied the director’s opposition to him was somehow connected to his passing.
In addition, White has traded responses online with members of the White House communications staff after voicing disapproval of the Oval Office’s decor and disputing claims about Trump’s record while serving in office.
In a separate exchange, David Draiman turned his attention to the X platform itself, directly addressing owner Elon Musk over concerns he has about the site.
Draiman’s remarks appeared to stem from reactions he observed on X surrounding the U.S. bombing of Iran, ending his message with the hashtag #FreeIran. However, his central complaint focused on what he described as the volume of misinformation circulating on the platform. He urged Musk to take stronger action in limiting the spread of content he believes is not fact-based.
He wrote:
“Dear @elonmusk“
“Free speech is absolute.”
“We agree on that completely.”
“However, if you want users to ‘be the media’, they should at LEAST be held to SOME standard of accuracy or truth.”
“There’s SO much false information flying around online on a daily basis. Community notes help, but they are added after the fact, and by the time they actually GET added, the lie has travelled around the world and the damage is already done.”
“There MUST be SOME system put in place that punishes such behavior? A three strikes and you’re out type thing maybe? Whether it be from the MSM or independent users, if you’re pushing blatant disinformation, the platform shouldn’t automatically reward you because you ‘get engagement.'”
As of publication time, Musk had not responded publicly to Draiman’s post.
Dear @elonmusk
— David Draiman 🟦🇺🇸🇮🇱✡️☮️ (@davidmdraiman) March 2, 2026
Free speech is absolute.
We agree on that completely.
However, if you want @X users to “be the media”, they should at LEAST be held to SOME standard of accuracy or truth.
There’s SO much false information flying around online on a daily basis. Community…
