Fact Check: Did Elon Musk post that protesters against Donald Trump should go to prison?

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump and has often slammed those who have criticized the POTUS. On Monday, February 17, he slammed CBS News and said they "deserve a long prison sentence" for election interference.

Amid all this, a rumor circulated online claiming that Elon Musk made a post on X (formerly Twitter) that protesters against Trump should "go to prison". But is there any truth to this? Let's find out below.

Claim: Elon Musk posted that protesters against Trump should 'go to prison'

In February, a rumor circulated online as a screenshot claiming that tech entrepreneur Elon Musk posted on X, "Spoiled crybabies across the country are protesting against America's golden age. Brats like them should go to prison."

Notably, the text of the screenshot referenced gatherings organized across the US to protest President Donald Trump's second administration's actions, including his decision to give Musk the oversight of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

A user shared the image on X which was later removed and wrote, "Far from championing free speech, Elon Musk keeps publicly calling for various people to be imprisoned for disagreeing with him about politics."

Another user posted the same image on Facebook and wrote, "Musk thinks peaceful protesters should go to prison" while one added, "Elon Musk just said that all the protesters today should go to prison. We truly are in big trouble people!!!"

False: No evidence to back rumored claim

The claim made in the online rumor is false as no record existed of Elon Musk posting he believed protesters were "spoiled crybabies" and "brats" who "should go to prison", according to Snopes.

Moreover, The fake post displayed 1.1 million views and if the post was authentic, some users would have shared a screenshot, archive link, or any other proof but no one provided any such evidence.

However, even though this post was fake, Musk's past posts have shown him naming specific people or types of people he believed belonged in prison, like people who threaten or encourage murder, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and other British politicians, per the outlet.

Elon Musk posts saying CBS News staff deserves 'long prison sentence'

The fake Elon Musk post made rounds across social media around the same time when the Tesla CEO genuinely posted on X that the staff of CBS News' '60 Minutes' show "deserve a long prison sentence." 

His post included a clip of the Kamala Harris interview along with the caption, "60 Minutes are the biggest liars in the world! They engaged in deliberate deception to interfere with the last election. They deserve a long prison sentence."

He shared a post by @amuse that read, "PROPAGANDA: 60 Minutes allows Kamala Harris​ to lie while the cameras are rolling. When they’re off they confront her asking her for the truth."

Notably, his post referenced an editing controversy involving a '60 Minutes' interview from October 2024 with the Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Kamala Harris, per Snopes.

Interestingly, Trump sued CBS for $10 billion in November 2024, alleging that the media company deceptively edited the '60 Minutes' interview to help the Democratic nominee's election chances.

Trump later doubled the amount to $20 billion in February 2025.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.