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Fact Check: Musk reposted meme saying people who benefit from federal programs are the 'Parasite Class' [1]

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Date: 2025-04

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways

Claim:

Tech mogul Elon Musk reposted a meme on X that called those who benefit from U.S. federal programs the "Parasite Class."

Rating:

Rating: True

A screenshot of an alleged X post that tech billionaire Elon Musk reposted with the caption: "Watching Trump slash federal programs knowing it doesn't affect you because you're not a member of the Parasite Class" circulated the internet widely in February 2025.

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It elicited cries of hypocrisy, as people claimed he also receives forms of government assistance.

Musk, head of Tesla motors, appeared to write above the meme image: Why 90% of America loves @DOGE" — meaning the recently established Department of Government Efficiency — which Musk apparently heads in the U.S.

The claim spread across multiple platforms, including Instagram, X, Facebook and Bluesky. Media outlets such as The Daily Beast, The Atlantic Black Star and Times Now News also published stories about the post. An episode on the podcast "On With Kara Swisher" discussed the post, as well, calling Musk himself a parasite; Swisher claimed that by 2015, Tesla had received almost $5 billion in government support.

The X post is real; Musk did repost the meme (archived) with his own pro-DOGE caption and a laughing emoji on Feb. 12, 2025, at 10:35 p.m. (ET).

The X account @Liberty_Memes created the original meme (archived) with a watermark, but the version Musk reposted did not include the Liberty Memes watermark and instead featured the DOGE logo.

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In sum, because Musk did repost a meme that called those who benefit from federal programs the "Parasite Class," we rate this claim as true.

Sources:

Musk, Elon. 'Elon Musk X Profile'. X.Com, https://x.com/elonmusk.

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[1] Url: https://www.yahoo.com/news/fact-check-musk-reposted-meme-120000227.html

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