Fact check: Did musk say trump is in the epstein files

1. Summary of the results

Elon Musk did make a public statement on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that Donald Trump is in the Epstein files, specifically posting "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public" ^[1]. However, Musk provided no evidence to support this claim ^[2]. Along with this statement, Musk shared an old NBC photo of Trump and Epstein together from 1992 ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual points need to be considered:

• Being mentioned in legal files does not automatically imply wrongdoing - case files often contain names of witnesses, victims, and people who were tangentially connected ^[4]
• Trump and Epstein were known to have social connections in the early 2000s ^[5]
• Previous document releases have already mentioned Trump but contained no accusations of illegality against him ^[3]
• Trump has publicly denied involvement, stating he was "never on Epstein's Plane, or at his 'stupid island'" ^[3]
• The Epstein files contain thousands of unreleased pages ^[6]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

Several potential biases and motivations should be considered:

• The timing and nature of Musk's claim appears to be part of an escalating political power struggle between him and Trump ^[6]
• The sharing of the 1992 photo alongside the claim could be seen as an attempt to create a misleading association, given that social connections don't necessarily indicate involvement in criminal activities ^[5]
• Both Trump and Musk, as influential public figures, have their own political motivations in this situation - Trump in maintaining his reputation ahead of political campaigns, and Musk in potentially influencing public opinion
• The media coverage of this claim benefits from the controversy between two high-profile figures, which might influence how the story is presented