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Fact Check: Elon Musk receives more subsidies than any human being in history.

Fact Check: Elon Musk receives more subsidies than any human being in history.

Published July 4, 2025
ByFactChecker 1.1 avatarFactChecker 1.1
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VERDICT
Partially True

# Fact Check: "Elon Musk receives more subsidies than any human being in history." ## What We Know Elon Musk and his companies, particularly Tesla an...

Fact Check: "Elon Musk receives more subsidies than any human being in history."

What We Know

Elon Musk and his companies, particularly Tesla and SpaceX, have been significant beneficiaries of government subsidies and contracts over the years. According to a detailed analysis by The Washington Post, Musk's businesses have received at least $38 billion in government aid, including contracts, loans, subsidies, and tax credits, primarily over the past two decades. This amount includes approximately $15.7 billion for Tesla and $22.6 billion for SpaceX, with nearly two-thirds of this funding pledged in the last five years alone. In 2024, federal and local governments committed at least $6.3 billion to Musk's companies, marking a record high (Le Monde).

The funding Musk has received has been crucial for his companies, especially during critical periods. For instance, the $465 million loan from the Energy Department in 2010 was pivotal for Tesla's survival during its early years (The Washington Post). Additionally, Tesla has earned $11.4 billion in regulatory credits from federal and state programs aimed at promoting the electric vehicle industry (The Washington Post).

Analysis

The claim that Elon Musk receives more subsidies than any human being in history is complex and requires careful evaluation. While it is clear that Musk has received substantial government support, the assertion lacks comprehensive context. The $38 billion figure is significant, but it is essential to consider the nature of these funds. Much of this support is tied to government contracts and incentives aimed at fostering innovation in electric vehicles and space exploration, sectors that align with national interests (The Washington Post, Le Monde).

Moreover, the analysis of Musk's funding reveals that while he has benefited greatly from government assistance, other large corporations in similar sectors, such as Amazon and Microsoft, have also received substantial government contracts and incentives. This suggests that while Musk's subsidies are indeed among the highest, they are not necessarily unparalleled in the broader context of corporate welfare (The Washington Post, CNN).

The sources used in this analysis, particularly The Washington Post, are reputable and provide a thorough investigation into Musk's financial dealings with the government. However, the interpretation of the data can vary, and some sources may emphasize different aspects of Musk's relationship with government funding (The Independent, Yahoo Finance).

Conclusion

The claim that "Elon Musk receives more subsidies than any human being in history" is Partially True. While it is accurate that Musk has received a staggering amount of government support—approximately $38 billion—the claim lacks nuance. It does not account for the context of these subsidies, the competitive landscape of corporate funding, and the fact that other large corporations also receive significant government assistance. Therefore, while Musk's subsidies are among the highest, they may not be the absolute highest when considering the entire corporate sector.

Sources

  1. Elon Musk Business Empire Funded with $4.9 Billion in ...
  2. Elon Musk's business empire is built on $38 billion in ...
  3. Elon Musk's empire has benefited from $38 billion in ...
  4. Report Says Elon Musk's Businesses Have Been Awarded $38 Billion In
  5. Elon Musk's growing empire is fueled by $4.9 billion in ...
  6. How much of Musk's wealth comes from tax dollars and ...
  7. Here's how many billions Elon Musk's companies are ...
  8. The Many Loves of Elon Musk and the Incentives That Won ...

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Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 White conservatives is not considering this child an anchor baby. Education is elevation and let's get into the conservative contradictions of everything they say about immigration. For instance, do y'all know that Melania Trump's visa was questioned in a congressional hearing this January twenty twenty-five. You want to know why? Melania Trump was a college dropout who arrived in the United States on a Einstein visa. Get this though. Reserved. The other visa is reserved for people with extraordinary ability and sustained national international acclaim such as a palitza, Oscar, Olympic Winter, But listen, Baron was born 00:32 March 20th two thousand and 6. Melania became a US citizen July twenty-8th two thousand and 6. Trump wants to end birthright citizenship when his own child is a product of birthright citizenship. We can question a Mexican-American citizen for marrying an undocumented Mexican. Oh yeah, we gotta be able to question when Europeans do the same thing or no. On my mama, think about it. There are 666, 000 illegal immigrants in the United States from European countries. The vast majority of them are white. Yet you don't 01:03 see a single one of them have their children stripped away from them, raided, locked up in cages, and we all know why. You know equal protection under the law has always been a myth and the word immigration has always been a cold word for unwanted color people. They ain't worried about they child being kidnapped. They ain't worried about dropping Baron off at school or in college and him being being kidnapped by masked Asians. Elon Musk worked in United States illegally in 1995 after quit his school job. I feel like if a Haitian immigrant came over here and worked illegally and ended up amassing a whole bunch of wealth they will find and trump wants to end birthright citizen ship? everything to be illegitimate because you started off illegal. Let's pay attention to the language too y'all. So Donald Trump's grandfather was a illegal migrant and a Trojan horse. Which means that Donald Trump's parents is a product of being what they call what a tether baby, a anchor baby, a birthright citizenship. To the people on this side, they do not believe that the Second Amendment only applies to muskets. So you believe that their only applies to the sentence of slaves is stupid. Which brings me to another point. When these folks want to distance themselves from 02:06 everybody that benefited from slavery, they love to tell you about their proud immigrant background a

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