3 hours ago
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Elon Musk and President Donald Trump fielded a flurry of questions during their first joint
press briefing
in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
Among the topics raised were immigration, tariffs, and a previous allegation about
US funding
for condoms in Gaza.
Musk was asked about a claim he had shared on X, suggesting that the US had sent $50 million worth of condoms to Gaza under President Joe Biden’s administration. However, fact-checkers later revealed that the funding was actually meant for Gaza Province in Mozambique, not the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
When confronted with this during the press briefing, a reporter asked, "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?"
Musk first acknowledged that some of his statements might be incorrect and should be corrected. However, he then doubled down on his stance, saying, "I'm not sure we should be sending $50M of condoms anywhere. That's really an enormously large amount of condoms."
The mix-up likely stemmed from the fact that "Gaza" exists in both Palestine and Mozambique. Federal reports confirmed that the funding was actually for an AIDS and STD prevention programme in Mozambique’s Gaza Province, according to the US department of health and human services.
Democrats have repeatedly rejected claims that condoms were sent to Gaza, calling them baseless and politically motivated. They argue that there has been no credible evidence to support such accusations and have accused Trump and his allies of using the issue to stir controversy.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that a review conducted under the Trump administration had uncovered the $50 million earmarked for condom distribution. She called it a "preposterous waste of taxpayer money."
The controversy also gained attention due to allegations that
Hamas
was using condoms to create makeshift incendiary devices, commonly referred to as "
condom bombs
," by attaching explosives to balloons and launching them into Israel.
Musk had also posted on his X acccount, sarcastically referencing "Magnum" condoms, a well-known brand associated with larger sizes. His comment appeared to allude to past reports of Hamas using flaming condoms as weapons.
In a rare moment, Musk was joined at the White House by his young son, nicknamed 'Little X', as he and Trump addressed the press.
