Elon Musk Is Reportedly 'Freaking Out' Over Film Exploring Alleged Starlink Links to 2024 Election Results

Elon Musk has publicly dismissed renewed claims surrounding Alex Gibney's forthcoming documentary Musk, responding on X on 4 September as the film draws attention to his political role in the 2024 US election and raises unproven questions about Starlink ahead of its US release.

The documentary, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Gibney, is scheduled to screen at the Venice Film Festival in September before reaching US cinemas on 16 October. Musk criticised the project years before its completion, describing it in 2023 as a 'hit piece'.

His latest responses included 'Lmao' and other dismissive remarks to social media posts discussing the film's election-related material.

Journalist David Sirota separately claimed Musk was 'freaking out' over the documentary, praising Gibney as an accountability filmmaker who 'won't be bullied.' That description is Sirota's characterisation of Musk's reaction, not an independently verified account of Musk's private state of mind.

Documentary Raises Unproven Starlink Questions

One of the film's election-related sections features Ashley St. Clair, who shares a son with Musk. According to reports based on an advance look at the documentary, St. Clair says Musk displayed an unusual degree of certainty about the 2024 presidential election result before it was known.

She also recalls Musk saying before the election that he would unleash an 'anomaly in the matrix.' The documentary reportedly shows a text exchange in which a message attributed to Musk states, 'I have ten thousand lasers in space.'

Gibney asks St. Clair whether Musk was referring to Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet network. St. Clair does not claim to know what Musk meant, instead saying she did not know where else he would have 'space lasers'.

The exchange does not establish that Musk was referring to election systems or that Starlink was used to alter, transmit or interfere with votes. No evidence presented in the reporting reviewed by IBTimes UK establishes that Starlink changed the 2024 election result.

That distinction is important. After the 2024 election, US election officials and cybersecurity experts rejected online claims that Starlink had been used to manipulate vote tabulation.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said it had no evidence of malicious activity that materially affected the security or integrity of election infrastructure, while officials in several states said Starlink was not used to alter election results.

Musk's Political Spending Remains Under Scrutiny

Musk's political involvement in 2024 is better documented. A Washington Post analysis of Federal Election Commission filings found that he spent at least $288 million (£211.93 million) to help elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates during the election cycle.

His America PAC also ran a petition programme offering large payments to selected participants. Although Musk initially promoted $1 million (£739,000) awards in a way that suggested random selection, lawyers for the PAC later told a Pennsylvania court that recipients were preselected and vetted.

Musk's political operation has remained active ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Reuters reported on 4 September that America PAC had spent more than $800,000 (£591,000) supporting Republican candidates in more than a dozen congressional races.

His time working with the Trump administration has also drawn scrutiny. Musk served as a special government employee while spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency effort.

An August 2026 Government Accountability Office review found that some savings listed on DOGE's 'Wall of Receipts' were incorrect or lacked supporting evidence and said the webpage did not adequately disclosed limitations in its data.

Separately, a Wisconsin prosecutor said in August that Musk would not face election bribery charges over a 2025 promotion linked to the state Supreme Court race. Musk initially said he would give two $1 million cheques at an event limited to people who had voted, then revised the terms to require participants to sign a petition.

Prosecutor Tim Gruenke said he did not believe the evidence would support a conviction.

Gibney's Musk is due to reach US cinemas on 16 October. Its allegations and questions about Musk's political influence are likely to draw further scrutiny, but the film's Starlink material should not be treated as proof that the satellite network affected the 2024 election result.