Kamala Harris Fact-Checked and Rebuked by Elon Musk on X for False Trump Claim
In a recent political clash on X (formerly Twitter), Vice President Kamala Harris found herself in the hot seat after making a false claim about former President Donald Trump’s stance on abortion. Not only was she fact-checked by the platform’s “community notes” feature, but she also faced a sharp response from X’s principal shareholder, Elon Musk.
In a June 30 post, Harris claimed that if Trump became president again, he would implement a nationwide abortion ban, a statement that Trump has repeatedly denied. The Vice President’s message read: “Donald Trump would ban abortion nationwide. President [Biden] and I will do everything in our power to stop him and restore women’s reproductive freedom.”
However, this assertion doesn’t align with Trump’s public stance. Following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Trump consistently supported the idea of returning the issue to the states. During a recent debate with President Joe Biden, Trump reiterated this position, reaffirming that as president, he would uphold the “states’ rights” approach regarding abortion.
Harris’s misleading claim didn’t go unnoticed. Multiple X users, including individuals who identify with left-leaning media, pointed out the factual inaccuracies of her statement. Yet, it was Elon Musk’s cutting response that captured the most attention. “When will politicians, or at least the intern who runs their account, learn that lying on this platform doesn’t work anymore?” Musk quipped.
This rebuke quickly gained traction, with political commentators joining the conversation. Dave Rubin, a host and contributor with Blaze Media, responded to Musk, writing, “Do you see why the system has tried to take out Elon? He is able to help us debunk this nonsense in real time.”
While Harris faced backlash, President Joe Biden also encountered criticism during the same debate. Biden falsely claimed, “I’m the only president this century that doesn’t have any — this decade — that doesn’t have any troops dying anywhere in the world, like [Trump] did.” This statement was swiftly fact-checked, with sources noting that at least 16 U.S. troops have been killed since Biden took office, including 13 during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and three more in a drone strike in Jordan.
Elon Musk, who was active on X following the debate, expressed his disillusionment with the political theater surrounding the event. In response to billionaire venture capitalist David Sacks, Musk remarked, “They’re just talking puppets. It was a setup for a switch.”
The political stakes continue to rise as the 2024 election looms, with polls showing President Biden struggling to maintain ground against Trump. According to University of Virginia Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato, Biden’s position is weakening. “The race between Biden and Trump is no longer close,” Sabato noted, adding that recent polls, including CNN’s, show Biden trailing Trump by a significant six-point margin. Sabato emphasized that Democrats must realize the gravity of the situation, as Biden’s attempts to recover through interviews or rallies may not be enough to shift the current political dynamic.
As the 2024 race heats up, both Harris and Biden face mounting challenges in maintaining their narratives while figures like Elon Musk use platforms like X to challenge misinformation in real time.