The CryptoBros are gonna hate me for this, but I literally do not give two fucks, I just donāt. So, Musk, in his infinite wisdom shut down the spending bill to keep the government running. And he doesnāt give two fucks either how badly we suffer.
So with thatā¦ā¦
Elon Musk, YOU ARE A GIANT DOUCHE
Elon Muskātech mogul, billionaire, and wannabe Twitter edgelordāis at it again. This time, heās peddling a bunch of crap about the bipartisan stopgap spending bill Congress failed to pass yesterday. Itās honestly impressive how he manages to take whatās already a dumpster fire and pour gasoline on it with false claims and misleading hot takes. Letās unpack the nonsense heās spewing and dive into why this kind of bullshit matters.
Minimal Impact of Government Shutdown? Bullshit.
Musk claimed that a government shutdown would have ānegligible consequencesā because it ādoesnāt actually shut down critical functions.ā Sure, essential services keep running, but thatās only part of the story. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers go unpaid. Families suffer because paychecks get delayed. National parks close, businesses relying on federal contracts take a hit, and the overall economy loses billions. So no, Elon, itās not āno big deal.ā Itās a fucking trainwreck for anyone whoās not a billionaire with a stockpile of Teslas and Twitter shares.
Congressional Pay Raise? Total BS.
Hereās the next whopper: Musk claimed the bill included a 40% pay raise for members of Congress. Where the hell did he pull that number from? His ass? The bill actually allowed for a modest cost-of-living adjustmentāa 3.8% increase, or about $6,600. Thatās nowhere near 40%. Either Musk canāt do math, or heās deliberately stoking outrage. My moneyās on the latter because he knows rage gets clicks, and clicks fuel his brand.
Funding for an NFL Stadium? Not Even Close.
Oh, but it gets better. Musk reposted some nonsense about the bill allocating $3 billion for a new NFL stadium in D.C. This claim is so false itās laughable. The bill did transfer control of the RFK Stadium site to the D.C. government, butāwait for itāwithout federal funds. If D.C. wants to build a stadium there, thatās on them, not Uncle Sam. Muskās version of the story? Just another piece of bait for his followers to eat up without checking facts.
Protecting the January 6 Committee? Not Really.
Then thereās his claim about the bill protecting the January 6 committee from investigation. This oneās especially slimy. Musk twisted a provision ensuring House data on external platforms remains under House control into some wild conspiracy theory. All the provision does is clarify whoās in charge of House records. Itās not a shield for the committee, but hey, why let facts get in the way of a good Twitter meltdown?
Bioweapon Labs? Oh, Fuck Off.
And finally, the piĆØce de rĆ©sistance: Musk amplified a completely baseless claim that the bill funded ābioweapon labs.ā Nope. What the bill actually aimed to do was set up regional biocontainment labs for public health and researchāyou know, the stuff that helps prevent pandemics. Calling these ābioweapon labsā is fearmongering, plain and simple. Musk should know better, but apparently, stirring up paranoia is more his speed.
Why Does Musk Do This Shit?
Letās be real: Elon Musk doesnāt pull this crap because heās dumb. Heās doing it because it serves him. By pushing misinformation, he gets people riled up, which keeps his name trending. And when heās trending, heās making moneyāwhether itās through Tesla stock, Twitter (or X, or whatever the hell heās calling it now), or just maintaining his status as the internetās favorite chaos agent.
Itās not the first time heās played this game. Remember when he spread COVID-19 misinformation, claiming the pandemic would be over by April 2020? Or when he tweeted about taking Tesla private at $420 a share, causing market chaos? How about his repeated downplaying of AI risks, despite funding projects like OpenAI? Musk is the king of saying whatever gets him attention, whether itās true or not.
The Real Damage
Hereās the thing: Muskās bullshit doesnāt just disappear into the ether. It sticks. Millions of people believe his claims because they see him as some kind of genius visionary. When he spreads misinformation, it fuels polarization, undermines trust in institutions, and makes it harder to have real conversations about real problems. And when someone like Musk normalizes lying for clout, itās a green light for others to do the same.
Take his NFL stadium claim. Now there are probably thousands of people who genuinely believe their tax dollars are going to build a stadium, even though itās not true. Same with the bioweapon labs. That kind of fearmongering erodes trust in science and public health at a time when we need it the most. Muskās lies arenāt just noise; they have real-world consequences.
Final Thoughts
Elon Musk has a platform most people can only dream of, and heās using it to spread misinformation for his own benefit. Whether itās about the spending bill, COVID-19, AI, or Teslaās stock price, his MO is the same: say whatever will get the most attention, facts be damned. The guy could use his influence to do real good, but instead, heās out here playing games and screwing people over in the process.
Itās time to call him out for what he is: not a genius, not a visionary, but a billionaire grifter whoās more interested in his own clout than the truth. Donāt buy his bullshit, and donāt let him off the hook. Because at the end of the day, the rest of us are the ones paying the price for his lies.
Citations
Congressional Research Service: Government Shutdowns ā Effects and Impacts on Federal Employees and the Economy.
FactCheck.org: Analysis of Pay Adjustments for Members of Congress in the Stopgap Spending Bill.
Washington Post: Misleading Claims About the RFK Stadium Site in the Spending Bill.
House Rules Committee: Provisions Related to January 6 Committee Records.
NIH: Purpose of Regional Biocontainment Laboratories and Public Health Research Initiatives.
Muskās Tweets: Archived instances of his claims about COVID-19, Tesla stock, and AI risks.
Agreed. To some extent one has to be grateful he's not smarter. He's doing a lot of damage as it is, and it will get worse, but imo it could be a lot worse.