On Friday, billionaire Elon Musk took to his social media platform, X, to share an unbelievable claim with his 200 million followers, alleging that FEMA is deliberately blocking relief efforts for Hurricane Helene.
In the post, which quickly gained more than 40 million views, Musk claimed that FEMA was “actively blocking citizens trying to help” by “blocking shipments and seizing items” intended to be sent to those in need. FEMA and local officials have denied the allegations, labeling them false.
Less than an hour after Musk took office, former President Donald Trump, whom Musk has endorsed and campaigned for, expanded the baseless claim on his own social media platform, Truth Social, to his more than 7 million followers.
The unsubstantiated claims spread by Musk and Trump have sparked concern among experts who warn that the spread of misinformation “will only get worse” as we get closer to Election Day.
“I think we’re in a very dangerous situation in this election,” said Alex Mahadevan, director of the Media Wise digital media literacy project at the nonprofit Poynter Institute for Media Studies.
“I can only hope that the election watchdog is prepared to pre-bunk, get out of this lot of misinformation, (and) have a communication plan,” Mahadevan said.
Sam Woolley, a disinformation researcher and author at the University of Pittsburgh, expressed these concerns about Musk, who has been accused of being a key figure in the spread of misinformation. Since taking over X, Woolley said, Musk has ignored content moderation and instead pushed a “disinformation narrative” that supports Trump.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives for a briefing at the Columbia County Emergency Management Agency as he visits areas affected by Hurricane Helene, Oct. 4, 2024, in Evans, Ga.
Evan Vucci/AP
“Right now, we’re in a race to the bottom and that race is being led by Elon Musk,” Woolley said.
Woolley told ABC News that disinformation and misinformation about politics and events “will only become more apparent” and advised people to “be on the lookout.”
“The goal of people spreading this fake content is to inflame tension, make you angry and or make you more apathetic about the election process,” Woolley said. “And my call to action is for people, don’t let that happen. The most important thing in a democracy is that we all participate and we all vote.”
Writing in X, Musk also falsely accused FEMA of “using the budget to transport illegal goods into the country,” which he called “treason.” A few hours later at a town hall event, Trump repeated the baseless accusation, falsely telling his supporters that FEMA “lost billions of dollars that were given to migrants who came to our country. Some of them are killing people.
The White House has denied the misinformation, insisting that funding for migrant services comes through a separate spigot at Customs and Border Patrol and is unrelated to FEMA’s disaster recovery efforts. FEMA has also created a fact-checking page on its website to combat false claims.
Back in 2019, when he became president, Trump used FEMA disaster funds for the migrant program at the border. According to FEMA’s monthly report, $38 million was given to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in August of that year.
Disinformation experts and immigration advocates called Musk and Trump’s posts “blatant falsehoods” that put “vulnerable immigrant communities in greater danger.”
“We’ve heard from President Trump that immigrants are voting illegally, that they’re stealing FEMA money, that they’re eating family pets — and here’s the reality that contradicts the fiction,” Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of Global Refuge told ABC News.
“These types of blatant falsehoods are designed to divide the American public, and it seems like it’s for nothing more than political gain,” Vignarajah said. “Not only does it undermine public trust, these lies put vulnerable immigrant communities in greater danger.”
Ohio officials say the unfounded claims about immigrants and their pets have led to dozens of bomb threats and other threats of violence targeting the Haitian community, forcing Springfield law enforcement officials to evacuate schools, hospitals and other city facilities.
In the wake of unsubstantiated claims about FEMA and Hurricane Helene, a top FEMA official told ABC News that recent false claims are keeping people from signing up for FEMA assistance.
“The reality is that misinformation and falsehoods have a real impact on people’s lives,” Woolley said.
