A viral image shared on Threads claims Tesla CEO and owner of X Elon Musk is not a U.S. citizen.
Verdict: False
The claim is false. Musk became a U.S. citizen via a naturalization ceremony in 2002, according to Esquire and CNN.
Fact Check:
Musk was the “largest donor to either party” during the 2024 election cycle, according to the Federal Election Commission, CBS News reported. Musk spent $277 million to support President-elect Donald Trump and “other Republican candidates,” the outlet indicated.
The Threads image, which has received over 1,000 likes as of writing, claims Musk is not a U.S. citizen.
“Elon Musk is NOT a citizen of the United States and has NO Place anywhere near our government,” text that appears on the image of Musk reads. The image does not provide a source to support its claim.
The claim is false. According to a November 2012 piece published in Esquire, Musk became a U.S. citizen via a naturalization ceremony with “[3,500] other immigrants at the Pomona Fairplex” in Pomona, California. Likewise, in September 2024, CNN reported that Musk had participated in a naturalization ceremony in 2002, citing Esquire as well as a biography of Musk written by Walter Isaacson.
In addition, Musk does not appear to have publicly commented on the claim via his verified X account, @elonmusk. Actually, the opposite is true. On October 27, Musk responded to claims from President Joe Biden that he was not qualified to work in the U.S. as a student.
“I was in fact allowed to work in the US. The Biden puppet is lying,” Musk wrote via one X post.
“I was on a J-1 visa that transitioned to an H1-B. They know this, as they have all my records. Losing the election is making them desperate,” He added via a subsequent post. (RELATED: Did Elon Musk Ban The X Account Of The Armed Forces Of Ukraine?)
Furthermore, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. Both PolitiFact and The Dispatch debunked the claim via respective articles published on Dec. 5. USA Today also recently reported the claim was false.
Check Your Fact has contacted Musk for comment.