Fact Check: Did Donald Trump Tell Elon Musk To Stay In His ‘Lane’?

Undated screenshot circulated on social media purportedly shows a post published via Trump’s official Truth Social account, saying Elon Musk has ‘forgotten’ who is in charge.

Screenshot of the purported post.

Source : X/Screenshot/False label added by Logically Facts

 

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The Verdict: False No news outlets or US President-elect Donald Trump’s personal platforms show evidence of this post. Therefore, we have marked this claim false.

The claim

There is no evidence that US President-elect Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Tesla CEO Elon Musk should stay in his “lane” ahead of the former’s inauguration, despite a viral screenshot that began circulating online in mid-December.

The undated screenshot, which surfaced on social media as early as December 21, resembles a post published via Trump’s official Truth Social account (@realDonaldTrump) and reads, in part, “I know the media (the FAKE NEWS) and even some of you out there keep saying things like ‘Elon’s really running the show,’ but let me tell you this is MY vision, MY leadership, and MY America we’re talking about … But lately, it feels like he’s forgotten one thing: I’M the guy in charge. Not him.”

An iteration of the fabricated screenshot posted on X (archived here) gathered more than 340,000 views. It also surfaced on BlueSky, YouTube, and TikTok.  

However, Logically Facts determined that this post was fabricated.

In fact

Logically Facts found no evidence of the supposed post when searching through Trump’s Truth Social account. The post is not visible on Trump’s official X account, nor was it included in statements published on Trump’s official website.

The post is not logged by Trumpstruth.org, a website that archives Trump’s Truth Social posts.

A Google reverse image search only found duplicates of the screenshot published on various social media platforms.

The fake screenshot surfaced after Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were named co-leaders of an initiative aimed at curbing governmental inefficiency in a post published by Trump on November 12. 

At an address hosted by the conservative non-profit Turning Point USA in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 22, Trump referred to Musk, saying (1:02:39), “And we will create the new Department of Government Efficiency headed by Elon Musk. And no, he’s not taking the presidency.” 

A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a Logically Facts request for comment.

The verdict

No major news outlets or US President-elect Donald Trump’s personal platforms show any trace of the supposed post being published. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false. 

This report first appeared on logicallyfacts.com, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.