FACT CHECK: No, Elon Musk Did Not Make An X Post Calling To ‘Defund The Poor’

An image shared on Threads purports to show an X post from Tesla CEO and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) lead Elon Musk that reads, “Defund the Poor.”

Verdict: False

An advanced search of Musk’s verified X account @elonmusk did not generate any reference to the purported remark, and there is no other evidence suggesting Musk made the purported remark.

Fact Check:

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has ordered Musk and DOGE to “reveal its plans to downsize the government and to identify all its employees,” according to Fox News. Musk and DOGE have three weeks to produce the requested information, according to the outlet.

The Threads image, which has received over 400 likes as of writing, purports to show an X post from Musk that reads, “Defund the Poor.” According to the same image, the purported post appears to have been made on Dec. 4, 2024.

“Is there anything unclear?” the image’s caption reads.

The claim is false. Check Your Fact performed an advanced search of Musk’s verified X account @elonmusk and did not find any reference to the purported remark. The remark also does not appear on DOGE’s website or its verified X account @DOGE. President Donald Trump has not publicly commented on the claim, either. (RELATED: Musk Didn’t Say He Would Eliminate Entitlements)

In addition, Check Your Fact did not find any credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On March 12, Snopes debunked the claim, labeling the post as “fake.” An authentic post shared by Musk on X on Dec. 4, 2024 reads, “Defund the ACLU.” According to the outlet, the fake image of the X post attributed to Musk previously circulated in December 2024 on multiple social media platforms including Facebook and TikTok.

This is not the first time a false claim about Musk has circulated online. Check Your Fact previously debunked an X post claiming Musk purportedly said, “The USA needs to hold an election.”