(Bloomberg) —Sometimes it seems like Elon Musk is spacewalking without a tether.

America’s clean-energy icon—the founder of Tesla Motors and SpaceX—riled up many of his supporters this weekend by offering a decidedly tepid criticism of President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting immigrants and refugees from seven predominantly Muslim nations.

Elon Musk @elonmusk The blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country’s challenges Twitter: Elon Musk on TwitterHe sent a quick follow-up message that was a bit more direct, but it wasn’t shared by as many people.

Elon Musk @elonmusk Many people negatively affected by this policy are strong supporters of the US. They’ve done right,not wrong & don’t deserve to be rejected. Twitter: Elon Musk on TwitterAs thousands of angry protesters descended on airports and federal courthouses around the nation to decry the ban and prevent refugees from being sent home, Musk kept on tweeting. It only made things worse. He even offered to take suggestions for possible amendments to Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum.

Seth Weintraub @llsethj @elonmusk Feels like you are getting Romney’ed. Hard. Stay Woke. Twitter: Seth Weintraub on TwitterAnd even a few amendments.

David Ruddock @RDR0b11 @elonmusk @WSJPolitics I have an amendment. https://t.co/0xtOGA39iM Twitter: David Ruddock on TwitterSince Friday, his Trump-related tweets have attracted almost 10,000 direct replies by anti-Trump protesters, some who call themselves the Resistance.

A call for input, of course, only invites internet meme-ing in situations like this, and it reminded everyone online that Musk is participating in two advisory roles for the new administration, and that he’s publicly supported Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of Exxon Mobil Corp., for Secretary of State. That’s an especially controversial endorsement from a man who has pledged his life’s work to getting humanity off fossil fuels. The resistance to it all was fierce …

Alex Steffen @AlexSteffen Hey @elonmusk, that squeak you’re hearing is @tesla’s brand integrity leaking out.Might want to patch the leak with a rejection of Trump. Twitter: Alex Steffen on Twitter… and  relentless …

Yann LeCun @ylecun @elonmusk you are an advisor to Trump. Quit. If you stay, fight and know that this will hurt your legacy regardless. Twitter: Yann LeCun on Twitter… and in some cases, harsh.

Joshua Kessler @JoshuaKessler1 @elonmusk @danahull I don’t know if you want to be hitched to this guy man. His stink could stay on you for a while. Twitter: Joshua Kessler on TwitterTwitter dogpiles are rarely a venue for nuance. If they were, one might note that Musk is a unique case, perhaps in all American business leadership, that might invite at least a little consideration from the left. First, he’s devoted his considerable fortune to advance clean energy. Tesla singlehandedly forced the automotive industry to take electric vehicles seriously, and its Model 3 electric car is the leading contender to become the first mass-market EV. Musk was also chairman and biggest investor in SolarCity, the biggest U.S. installer of rooftop solar, before Tesla acquired the company outright.

Schmeh Wiggly @Schmeehh @juanrod @elonmusk Maybe he likes to actually accomplish things instead of whining from the sidelines Twitter: Schmeh Wiggly on TwitterOne of his biggest goals all along, was to make clean-energy alternatives mainstream, to break down the partisan ideology of electric car-buying by making plugin cars that are the fastest and coolest vehicles money can buy. His solar roof tiles are groundbreaking technology, and his unique solar financing model removed financial barriers to help people start saving money from day one. The goal was to make clean energy products that were no-brainers, regardless of a person’s politics—and that might just be his greatest contribution yet.

John Beans @johnpaytonbeans @elonmusk @inhaleray Division of labor: people march and protest, Elon gets cool stuff done. Twitter: John Beans on TwitterFrom a more practical standpoint, Musk is also the founder of SpaceX, and as such has everything to lose by alienating Trump. SpaceX has revolutionized space travel for the 21st century: Musk built the only American-made rocket engine available at the time and the only alternative to Russian engines (which America had become wholly dependent on). Though SpaceX cut the cost of space travel dramatically, it still relies on U.S. contracts and access to government spaceports. National security rules around rockets are severe: SpaceX, for example, isn’t allowed to hire foreign nationals. It’s a source of frustration for Musk, who is himself an immigrant from South Africa, but a feud with an easily agitated White House  could endanger all of his spacefaring aspirations.

Johannes Berge @b3rge @elonmusk @inhaleray Musk’s stand may seem conflicting rn, but he’s in for the long run.would hate to see Mars wasted due to hasty st.ments Twitter: Johannes Berge on Twitter Starting a war of words with Trump might make some supporters feel good, but at what cost? Would harsh words help refugees? Unlikely. Musk, after all, has proven that he’s not particularly good at politics. Musk said on Twitter that he disagrees with the immigration orders, he called them “bad,” but he was relentlessly diplomatic. His messages on Twitter, and the responses, continued Monday.

ray @inhaleray @elonmusk I hope you don’t agree with Trumps’s overall views.. as a young black futurist I really looked up to your ideologies Twitter: ray on TwitterMusk’s response:

Elon Musk @elonmusk @inhaleray I agree with creating great jobs, restoring US strength as a great manufacturer of products and anything… https://t.co/2LwDBDLeO0 Twitter: Elon Musk on TwitterThe Make-America-Great vibe here probably won’t win back any of the Twitter users calling for a Tesla boycott. But to those who’ve been watching Musk closely, the response here and his approach in general has been more Muskian than it is Trumpian, love it or leave it.

To contact the author of this story: Tom Randall in New York at trandall6@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Rovella at drovella@bloomberg.net