Elon Musk has often shared misleading information about government spending, especially while supporting cuts to it during President Trump’s administration.
Recently, Musk admitted, “some of the things that I say will be incorrect, and should be corrected.” However, the number of inaccuracies he’s spread might be much more than “some.” He has made several questionable claims on his platform, X, this past month alone.
Here are a few examples showcasing his misleading statements.
These examples don’t cover all his erroneous claims, especially those found on the website of his Department of Government Efficiency.
The White House has not commented on these matters.
As Trump’s administration sought to cut funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Musk shared a tweet that claimed “USAID spent your tax dollars to fund celebrity trips to Ukraine.” The accompanying video looked like something from E! News and suggested that large amounts of money were given to celebrities for trips to Ukraine.
The video was entirely fabricated. E! News never aired such content, and USAID did not pay celebrities for these trips. One actor, Ben Stiller, clarified he “completely self-funded” his journey to Ukraine and received no money from USAID.
Stiller attributed the false claims to certain Russian media sources, and experts agreed that the misleading video reflected a long-standing Russian misinformation strategy.
Musk also criticized Reuters, claiming they were paid millions by the U.S. government for “large scale social deception.” In reality, the contract he mentioned was awarded by the Department of Defense for cybersecurity efforts, focusing on social engineering tactics, not to deceive the public.
Musk further misled the public by failing to clarify that the spending document highlighted was for “active social engineering defense,” not for manipulating information.
Musk shared a chart claiming to show significant increases in federal tax credits from 1990 to 2021, suggesting the increases were suspicious. However, the increases in tax credits are straightforward. They were influenced by legislative changes under Trump and Biden, including expansions of the child tax credit.
In recent claims, Musk suggested the New York Times received tens of millions from the government. However, the actual federal spending on the Times amounted to about $1.6 million, primarily for subscriptions.
At a White House briefing, a press secretary claimed the administration had blocked a $50 million expenditure aimed at funding condoms in Gaza, suggesting the money was being misappropriated. Musk amplified this claim despite a lack of evidence to back it.
He followed this with more inaccurate statements, such as saying money had been sent for condoms in Mozambique, which was also not true.
Recently, Musk shared an unverified post about DOGE, claiming enormous savings projected for taxpayers. However, this information was exaggerated and misleading.
He further joked about a Social Security database showing millions of people over 130 not listed as dead, implying mass fraud. In truth, this does not indicate wrongdoing—many people without death records do not receive benefits due to existing Social Security protocols.
In another claim, Musk alleged that FEMA sent $59 million to New York hotels for illegal immigrants. In reality, this funding was part of a separate federal initiative for migrant housing, not disaster relief.
The Shelter and Services Program funded by Congress was the source of the budget for housing migrants, distinctly separate from disaster assistance funds.
New York City further clarified that the alleged hotel costs were not for luxury accommodations, emphasizing the average amount paid for such services did not fit the “luxury” label Musk suggested.
Musk’s attempts to raise suspicion regarding these financial matters often lack factual backing. While healthy skepticism about government spending is essential, it’s crucial to ensure facts drive these discussions.
