New Delhi, March 5 -- Elon Musk on Tuesday said that he considers himself "to be simply an American" as protests against him grow in Canada. The Tesla CEO, who is the richest person on Earth, was born in South Africa and holds dual citizenship of Canada and the US.

The billionaire, who recently rose to political power by becoming the face of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Donald Trump, said he identifies himself as an American, without using a hyphenated identity.

"Should note that I grew up as English South African, not Afrikaans, and consider myself to be simply an American. No hyphen," he said in a post on X.

Musk made the X post while sharing a long podcast about the situation in his birth country, South Af...