Fake Elon Musk Tweet Tied to 2018 Epstein Email Stirs Confusion

A fake screenshot of an Elon Musk tweet has generated confusion online, following the release of thousands of pages of emails related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The confusion arose after the US House Oversight Committee's release of around 20,000 pages of emails on 12 November. An email from 2018 showed an exchange between the Epstein brothers, in which Mark Epstein suggested consulting Donald Trump's adviser, Steve Bannon, over whether the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, had compromising photographs of Trump 'blowing Bubba'. As discussion of the email grew, a fabricated screenshot of a tweet, purportedly from Musk, began to circulate online. The image appeared to show the Tesla chief executive making a connection between Trump and the term 'Bubba'.

Many social media users questioned the legitimacy of the screenshot, even asking X's artificial intelligence (AI) engine Grok for verification. According to Grok, the tweet itself is false. There is currently no proof that Musk ever tweeted such an allegation, nor have any media outlets reported on the matter.

Elon Musk Calls for Releasing All the Epstein Files

Elon Musk has since resigned from the Trump administration, from his position as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Since resigning, Musk has often criticised Trump's policies, including his 'One Big Beautiful Bill' and the suspension of Epstein files releases. In a now-deleted post on X, Musk hinted that Trump was mentioned in the Epstein files.

The White House denied Musk's claims about Trump, with the US president calling the X chief executive 'a man who has lost his mind'. David Schoen, Epstein's former lawyer, said his client had no incriminating information about Trump before his death.

Musk has also joined the calls from lawmakers to release all the remaining Epstein files, saying that it is time to reveal the truth. However, investigators say that some documents are still sealed due to legal procedures and to protect the victims.

White House Dodges Questions on Meeting Epstein Victims

At the same time, the White House has seemingly declined to commit to whether Trump will meet with Epstein victims following the release of the emails. This comes as one Democratic lawmaker, Representative Ro Khanna, said that the efforts to release the rest of the Epstein files are not related to Trump. Khanna said that he plans to ask Trump to meet with Epstein victims at the White House.

'So it is not about Donald Trump,' said Khanna on NBC News' 'Meet the Press'. 'I don't even know how involved Trump was. There are a lot of people who are involved who have to be held accountable.'

The White House refused to commit to a meeting even as, according to Khanna, many of the Epstein victims who have spoken out will be in Washington, DC on Tuesday, 18 November.

'They are only pretending to care about these victims now as they attempt to score political points against Trump,' said a White House spokesperson.