Musk clarifies claim on US sending $50M condoms to Gaza
What's the story
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has clarified his earlier claim that the United States was sending $50 million worth of condoms to Gaza. Musk's clarification came during a joint press briefing with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday. Fact-checkers later revealed that the funding was actually meant for an AIDS and STD prevention program in Gaza Province, Mozambique—not Palestine's Gaza Strip, as Musk had claimed.
Twitter Post
Autism Captial's post on X
🚨REPORTER: "Mr. Musk, you said on X that $50M of condoms were sent to Gaza. After fact checking, it was going to Mozambique. Can you correct this?"
— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) February 11, 2025
ELON MUSK: "I'm not sure we should be sending $50M of condoms anywhere. That's really an enormously large amount of condoms." pic.twitter.com/4wVyT4QCEd
Funding criticism
Musk questions condom funding, criticizes taxpayer money misuse
When asked about his claim during the press briefing, Musk admitted some of his statements could be wrong. He then questioned the distribution of funds, saying, "I'm not sure we should be sending $50 million of condoms anywhere. That's really an enormously large amount of condoms." He slammed this as a possible misuse of taxpayer money.
Political controversy
Democrats dismiss condom claims as baseless
The Democrats have dismissed claims about condoms being sent to Gaza as baseless. They argue that there is no credible evidence supporting the allegations and accused Trump and his allies of using the issue to stir political controversy. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also commented on the situation, stating that a review conducted under the Trump administration had uncovered $50 million earmarked for condom distribution, which she described as a "preposterous waste of taxpayer money."
Escalating controversy
Controversy escalates with allegations of 'condom bombs'
The condom funding controversy intensified after reports surfaced that Hamas used condoms to make makeshift incendiary devices, "condom bombs." Musk had made a sarcastic reference to "Magnum" condoms on his X account, apparently referring to the reports. A review of data from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) found no evidence of condom supplies to Gaza in 2023, with the only reported delivery being a $45,680 supply to Jordan.