Elon Musk and President Donald Trump fielded a flurry of questions during their first joint press briefing in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
Among the issues raised were emigration, taxes, and a past argument about US funding for contraceptives in Gaza.
Musk was questioned about a state he made on X that claimed President Joe Biden’s administration sent$ 50 million worth of contraception to Gaza. But, fact-checkers later revealed that the cash was actually meant for Gaza Province in Mozambique, not the Arab country of Gaza.
When confronted with this during the media briefing, a writer asked,” Mr. Musk, you said on X that$ 50M of contraception were sent to Gaza. After fact-checking, it was going to Mozambique. Does you right this”?
Musk acknowledged first that some of his claims might be wrong and needed to be updated. However, he then doubled down on his stance, saying,” I’m not sure we should be sending$ 50M of condoms anywhere. That’s actually an considerably large amount of condoms”.
The mix-up likely stemmed from the fact that” Gaza” exists in both Palestine and Mozambique. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, national studies confirmed that the money was going to support a program to prevent HIV and STDs in Mozambique’s Gaza Province.
Democrats have consistently refuted says that Gaza received condoms and that they are politically motivated. They accuse Trump and his friends of using the discussion to stir up controversy because there is no conclusive evidence to support these claims.
The$ 50 million earmarked for condom supply was discovered, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, according to a report released by the Trump administration. She referred to it as a “posterous waste of taxpayer money.”
The controversy also attracted attention because of claims that Hamas was able to use condoms to make fake incendiaries, also known as” condom bombs,” by attaching explosives to balloons and launching them into Israel.
Musk had even posted on his X acccount, rudely referencing” Magnum” contraception, a well-known product associated with larger size. His statement appeared to make reference to earlier studies that Hamas had used flaming contraception as weapons.
As he and Trump addressed the press, Musk and his younger brother, nicknamed” Little X,” were present at the White House in a unique time.
