‘You’re such a moron’: Elon Musk Faces Backlash on X for Promoting Fake Article

It’s a troubling sign when a furious post you make on social media ends up being flagged by the very platform you operate for breaching its community standards.

The year 2024 has not been particularly forgiving for Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, who has also found himself in the realm of dubious political commentary—largely due to his own choices. If there were an Olympic event for spouting absurd and inflammatory rhetoric, Musk would undoubtedly win a gold medal. With the upcoming U.S. presidential election looming, he has ramped up his vocal support for his wealthy friend, Donald J. Trump, sacrificing whatever shred of self-respect he might have possessed—though that bar was already quite low.

In recent times, Musk has effectively tarnished his public image among those familiar with the basics of fact-checking. Yet, he appears determined to undermine the waning trust he retains as the new owner of X (formerly Twitter), by sharing and endorsing fake news on his personal profile; his most recent blunder could be his most ridiculous yet. One would assume that someone who bought one of the most significant social media platforms globally would have at least a basic grasp of media literacy, but it seems otherwise.

Elon Musk is getting humorously roasted for promoting a false article

They are literally foaming at the mouth? https://t.co/HlyJlIpkOU

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 22, 2024

Musk retweeted a post from @Indian_Bronson with the caption, “They are literally foaming at the mouth,” indicating he accepted the material as genuine despite its clear absurdity.

For those seeking evidence that Elon Musk doesn’t quite measure up intellectually to a fifth grader, this situation stands out. If the unbelievable headline itself didn’t lead him to question the veracity of a generally reputable source like The Atlantic, he could have simply glanced at the subheading: “Donald J. Trump is the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler.” Musk’s conservative followers eagerly amplified this narrative, sharing the post widely and misleading many users into believing it was factual.

Shortly afterwards, staff at The Atlantic published an article clarifying the situation, stating, “The misleading headline distorts an Atlantic article released on October 22, 2024, titled ‘Trump: ‘I Need the Kind of Generals That Hitler Had.’” They emphasized that anyone encountering these false images could easily determine their accuracy by visiting The Atlantic’s website for verification. As of now, Musk’s tweet remains visible.

Naturally, users on X took full advantage of this opportunity to mock Musk, who received a community note stating, “This is not a real article; no such headline exists at www.theatlantic.com. This is a satirical edit/photoshop.” It was later confirmed by the image’s creator that he doctored the article as a joke, which… alright? He may not have quite grasped what “satire” really entails.

You’re such a moron

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) October 23, 2024

Your own Twitter says you’re a liar.

— Agolf Twitler Slayer (@slayer_agolf) October 23, 2024

This isn’t the first incident of misinformation from Elon Musk

This is a fake story, dipshit.

— Trump’s Lies (Commentary) (@MAGALieTracker) October 23, 2024

It’s essential to recognize that Musk has a background of misleading the public with similar fake news stories. In August, he shared a phony article appearing to be from the Telegraph that suggested British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was intending to establish detainment camps for prisoners on the Falkland Islands. Back in 2022, Musk attempted this strategy again by linking to the notorious fake news outlet the Santa Monica Observer, (according to The New York Times), to spread conspiracy theories surrounding an incident involving House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It seems he never learns from his errors.

Ultimately, it raises concern that a significant figure in technology like Musk lacks the ability to verify his news sources. Even more troubling is the possibility that he is aware of how to fact-check but chooses not to, opting instead to disseminate misleading information that aligns with his agenda. In any case, with millions of users engaging with his post on X, Musk is creating a perilous precedent for the digital landscape, on a platform already teeming with misinformation—the same platform he vowed to enhance. Suffice it to say, the outlook for social media is quite dim.

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