Elon Musk

Did Rep. Dan Crenshaw share a post on X that included inflammatory language boasting of "over 300 confirmed kills," as an image on the platform suggested? No, that's not true: The quote is known colloquially as the "Navy Seal Copypasta," a phrase used to mock aggressive rhetoric online. The supposed screenshot of Crenshaw's post shows signs of manipulation, including its…

Did a draft continuing resolution or spending bill in late 2024 include a 40 percent salary increase for members of Congress? No, that's not true: The proposed December 2024 temporary funding package included a 3.8 percent pay raise, which would increase their annual salary from $174,000 to $180,600 if approved. Under the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 Congress is allowed…

Did tech billionaire Elon Musk publish a post in defense of insurance companies, saying that those corporations can act "ruthlessly" because of their "duty to shareholders to maximize profits"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no record of the purported post on Musk's X account. The fake screenshot of the entry appears to have originated from a meme website.…

Did Burger King's X account post "We don't snitch" in response to the alleged killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO being recognized by a McDonald's employee? No, that's not true: Burger King's public relations confirmed to Lead Stories that this post was made up. Also, the fake post contained the words "Retweets" and "Quote Tweets," words no longer used since Elon…

Did Tesla CEO Elon Musk announce that his company had developed an aluminum-ion battery with 15-minute charging? No, that's not true: There is no evidence on the company's website or Musk's social media platforms of any such announcement as of December 6, 2024. In fact, Tesla continues to manufacture and refine its 4680 lithium-ion batteries at a plant near Corpus…

Did Elon Musk tweet that the "world would not be able to function" without CEOs after the murder of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare Group? No, that's not true: The tweet is fake. Searches of Musk's X account and archived versions of it show the post was fabricated. A screenshot of the purported X post (archived here) appeared…

Did Hillary Clinton say that she would leave the U.S. if a rumored Jeffrey Epstein client list was released? No, that's not true: As of December 2, 2024, there is no record of Hillary Clinton having made such an announcement on her social media channels or website, and major media outlets did not report such a quote. Court documents naming…

Did an authentic photo show Elon Musk dancing in a mesh halter mini-shirt in 2018? No, that's not true: Two AI detection tools found that the image was generated using AI technology. Lead Stories found that the photo was posted in March 2024 -- not in 2018. Furthermore, the account that posted the image provided no evidence to support this…

Did Elon Musk say he would release a "bombshell" client list tied to rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs and financier Jeffrey Epstein? No, that's not true: This originated from SpaceX Fanclub, a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer: "We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real." The first comment under the post included a link to the self-described satire website…

Does an image circulating on social media accurately depict Elon Musk with a big belly, as if pregnant? No, that's not true: This image has been digitally edited. The source image, which was subjected to editing, was a still frame pulled from a real video of Musk that was filmed at SpaceX's Starbase on June 5, 2024. Lead Stories analysis…