How Elon Musk is inspiring his government policy ideas from X: WaPo
4 Min Read
Since taking over X, Musk's activity has increased significantly—he now replies, reposts, mentions, or quotes other users over 100 times each day on average.
-
Workers install lighting on an X sign atop the company headquarters formerly known as Twitter in downtown San Francisco, on July 28, 2023. (AP)
Elon Musk often interacts with hundreds of profiles on X, including large tech companies and unknown personalities. However, the information landscape Musk engages with has shifted dramatically since he purchased X in 2022.
Before Elon Musk acquired X, the tech CEO followed fewer accounts, posted less frequently, and focused on tech, business, and personal/family-related accounts. However, since taking over the platform, Musk's activity has increased significantly—he now replies, reposts, mentions, or quotes other users over 100 times each day on average.
According to a Washington Post investigation, political or government-related accounts account for 11% of Musk's contacts on X, up from 4% previously. His contacts with right-wing or conservative accounts have more than quadrupled after the acquisition, with Musk now communicating with these accounts approximately six times per day, up from twice a month before he owned the platform.
As a result of Musk's hyperactivity, both he and the Trump administration appear to be acting on ideas presented to him by X users, and some X postings appeared to have influenced the White House.
On February 15, for example, the prominent account and website ZeroHedge made a bogus allegation that the gold housed at Fort Knox was missing, calling on the tech giant to check it out. While Musk had not previously engaged with the conspiracy theory, he has interacted with ZeroHedge more than a hundred times since the summer of 2023. The RAND Corporation has cautioned that ZeroHedge frequently repeats Russian government talking points, and X's former owners briefly disabled the account in 2020 for disseminating COVID falsehoods.
Initially hesitant, Musk tweeted within 48 hours that he planned to broadcast a personal visit of Fort Knox, asking, "Who confirms the gold wasn't stolen from Fort Knox?"
Musk and President Donald Trump have yet to make good on their commitment to visit Fort Knox, Kentucky. Musk and ZeroHedge did not respond to The Post's request for comment.
However, the Fort Knox incident isn't the first occasion Musk has followed through on something he initially discussed on X.
A Washington Post investigation of more than 50,000 of Musk's postings from early 2020 to March 24, 2025, showed that he frequently uses memes, disinformation, or spontaneous ideas from users as part of his government-affiliated work through DOGE—the Department of Government Efficiency.
In numerous cases, Trump or DOGE implemented or debated policy suggestions developed by X users Musk worked with.
In February, the Education Department withdrew 18 awards worth $226 million, citing four X postings by activist Christopher Rufo as proof that the funding encouraged race-based discrimination and gender identity ideology. Musk commented on one of Rufo's posts, while Rufo addressed DOGE directly in another.
Rufo claimed in a statement to The Post, "My reporting has drawn attention to the ideological corruption at the department — and Elon Musk, Secretary McMahon, and the team have taken decisive action to end it."
When asked if he worked with Department of Education officials when writing his postings on X, Rufo responded, "A gentleman never tells!"
Within an hour of Musk reposting accusations that media sites such as Politico got millions in government subsidies, he stated he would discontinue the practice.
Although agencies had previously subscribed to sources such as Politico Pro to assist their employees, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced just 90 minutes later that news subscriptions had been revoked across the board, telling The Post, "Elon is an integral part of the incredible team that President Trump has put together and he works closely with the President's entire Cabinet and policy teams at the White House."
Musk has also spread questionable claims about USAID (United States Agency for International Development) before contributing to its closure. A federal lawsuit filed by former USAID employees challenging the Trump administration's shutdown of the agency is now moving through the courts.
