Elon Musk is the richest man in the world and the owner of X, Tesla, and SpaceX. But perhaps the more apt description of the guy would be the internet’s biggest and most dangerous troll—a characterization that has been on full display over the last several weeks, as Musk has trafficked in all manner of misinformation concerning the devastating hurricane that hit the South last month and the one headed for Florida as we speak. And while the internet—and Musk’s social media network in particular—is rife with misinformation, Musk’s fame and 200 million-plus X account following mean the falsehoods he has spread have had actual, devastating consequences.
Among other things, Musk has amplified false claims that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was “actively blocking” shipments of donated items for victims of Hurricane Helene and was “seizing goods…and locking them away to state they are their own”—claims that FEMA says are not true and that also appear to be bullshit based on Republican leaders’ praise of Washington. Musk has additionally shared baseless accusations that FEMA doesn’t have enough funding to get through hurricane season because it gave away too much money to undocumented migrants, and he personally wrote that “FEMA used up its budget ferrying illegals into the country instead of saving American lives,” accusing the agency of committing “treason.” He also absurdly claimed last Friday that the Federal Aviation Administration planned to “shut down” airspace over parts of North Carolina that had been hit hard by Helene, a falsehood Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had to personally explain was not true.
Addressing the onslaught of misinformation—which has also, unsurprisingly, come from Donald Trump—FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said Tuesday that it “is absolutely the worst I have ever seen,” adding, “I anticipated some of this, but not to the extent that we’re seeing.” While she did not call out Musk or Trump directly by name, the issues she has been forced to deal with are products of what the two men have been irresponsibly saying online. “It’s just really unfortunate that [people] continue to try to create this level of fear in these communities that is impeding our ability to do our job at the level that we need to do it, but we’re not going to let it deter us,” Criswell told reporters. “We are going to continue to be in these communities and support them for whatever they need.” Keith Turi, FEMA’s acting associate administrator for response and recovery, listed off numerous falsehoods that have been shared, including by Musk, like that FEMA was “confiscating supplies.” He called the misinformation “extremely damaging to the response efforts from Helene and from any disaster,” noting that it “is reducing the likelihood that survivors will come to FEMA in a trusting way to register for assistance.”
Over the weekend, North Carolina governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, wrote on X: “We need to work together to rebuild and recover from a catastrophic disaster like this one – and spreading false information to sow chaos hurts real people. Politicians, billionaires and grifters who peddle lies during a time of crisis should be held accountable.”
X content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
On Wednesday, Joe Biden slammed what he described as “a reckless, irresponsible, relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies” about the federal response first to Hurricane Helene and now to Hurricane Milton.
Meanwhile, it’s not just the federal government and Democrats that are fed up with the lies but Republican lawmakers as well. “Many of these observations are not even from people on the ground,” North Carolina senator Thom Tillis told CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. “I believe that we have to stay focused on rescue operations, recovery operations, clearing operations, and we don’t need any of these distractions on the ground. It’s at the expense of the hard-working first responders and people that are just trying to recover their lives.”
More Great Stories From Vanity Fair
-
Rudy Giuliani’s Daughter: Trump Took My Dad From Me. Please Don’t Let Him Take Our Country Too
-
The Ballerina Farming of America
-
How Ali Wong Fell in Love Again Postdivorce
-
Melania Trump’s New Book Is Truly Bad, If Jam-Packed
-
Inside the Fight to Release The Apprentice
-
A Glimpse Into the Private, Sparkling World of the Rich and Famous
-
Get True Colors, an Art World Digest From Nate Freeman, Straight to Your Inbox
-
From the Archive: How the Menendez Brothers’ Murder Turned Family Tragedy Into a Marathon Courtroom Drama
The post Elon Musk Is Literally Hampering Hurricane-Relief Efforts appeared first on Vanity Fair.
