Elon Musk is using his social media platform to promote misinformation about the U.S. presidential candidates in the lead up to the November election, amplifying false claims Wednesday about a Trump rally bomb threat and immigrants eating pets in Ohio.
While Musk鈥檚 posting of provocative, incendiary content on X is nothing new, the speed with which he has promoted false claims in recent days is striking given the breadth of Musk鈥檚 digital reach, with his posts regularly finding their way atop users鈥 feeds.
The most prominent of Musk鈥檚 conspiratorial posts came in the wake of an alleged second assassination attempt on former U.S. president Donald Trump, after which Musk wrote in a now-deleted X post that 鈥渘o one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala.鈥 After much backlash, Musk, who has pledged his support for Trump, ultimately deleted his post, stating that it was meant as a 鈥渏oke.鈥
During the same weekend, however, Musk also joined a chorus of conspiracy-minded X users circulating ahoax 鈥渁ffidavit鈥 from a purported 鈥渨histleblower鈥 that claimed last week鈥檚 ABC News debate was rigged to help Kamala Harris. ABC has since confirmed the typo-ridden document was fake.
Then on Wednesday, Musk a bogus claim that a bomb had been discovered near the site of a planned Trump rally in Long Island. Police said that 鈥渞eports of explosives being found at the site are unfounded.鈥
While Musk鈥檚 pithy reaction to the fake threat is still live on X, the initial post has since been deleted. Musk鈥檚 own post has been earmarked with a crowd-sourced 鈥渃ommunity notes鈥 fact-check that makes clear the claim was false. Still, in the post鈥檚 first two and a half hours, it garnered 4.3 million views and was reshared 9,800 times.
Also on Wednesday, Musk a video falsely claiming the city manager of Springfield, Ohio, admitted in March that there had been reports of Haitian immigrants eating pets, captioning the post 鈥淎lways Be Cheating News,鈥 a clear knock on ABC鈥檚 moderators, who had fact-checked Trump鈥檚 false claims on the matter at the debate.
The edited video instead showed a Springfield resident sharing that he had heard unconfirmed reports about domesticated animals being harmed. Both the city鈥檚 mayor and manager during the hearing they have seen no proof of such claims.
Musk鈥檚 post, which boosted about Haitian immigrants that have been promoted by Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, leading to dozens of bomb threats at schools and municipal buildings in the Ohio city, garnered more than 7.9 million views and 36,000 reshares.
Hours later, Musk a map purporting to be from Nate Silver, the renowned statistician and FiveThirtyEight founder, projecting a 312-226 electoral college victory for Trump in November, saying the election was 鈥渢rending well.鈥 The map, however, was a fake.
The from Silver鈥檚 newsletter platform, 鈥淪ilver Bulletin,鈥 published Wednesday shows several states in play, including Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and Silver himself noted that 鈥渢he race is really a tossup鈥 in the post. Meanwhile, in simulations from , which Silver parted ways with last year, Harris was forecast to win the election in 64 out of 100 simulations.
X did not respond to a CNN request for comment Wednesday on Musk鈥檚 posts.
Musk is far from the only figure spreading false information on the platform, though he is easily one of its biggest voices. Many of the bogus claims propelled by the billionaire in recent days were also buoyed by other major right-wing voices.
Since acquiring Twitter in 2022, Musk has gutted the company鈥檚 moderation teams and altered its policies, allowing misinformation and hate speech to spread on the platform. Musk also of previously banned conspiracy theorists, created financial incentives to post viral content, and of verified badges.
But the combination of Musk鈥檚 198 million-strong following coupled with an algorithm boosting his posts has elevated false claims that would typically be confined to less visible corners of the internet. Though Musk has styled himself as a free-speech absolutist, his tendency to champion posts from fringe, right-wing voices while regularly attacking news organizations and journalists presents a major issue for voters seeking reliable information online during an already-turbulent election period.
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Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Mont茅r茅gie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.
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