Fact Check: Did Elon Musk say the word ‘homeless’ is a lie?

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Ever since multi-billionaire Elon Musk endorsed President-elect Donald Trump before the 2024 election, every single move of his has garnered attention and been a topic of discussion.

Recently, several social media accounts shared a statement attributed to the SpaceX founder, who is also a soon-to-be government efficiency adviser, in which he called the word "homeless" a lie. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out.

Claim: Elon Musk said the word 'homeless' is a lie

An X (formerly Twitter) user @begonetrump posted on December 10, Tuesday, "@elonmusk "In most cases, the word 'homeless' is a lie. It’s usually a propaganda word for violent drug addicts with severe mental illness." These are your words, right Mr Musk? Tell me, isn’t it worth helping those who are really struggling, even if they are addicts?"

Another user @RigedElection wrote, "Yesterday, Elon Musk — who for some reason is in charge of deciding what federal government programs are unnecessary — declared that the concept of homelessness is a "lie" and "propaganda". He is unfit to rule."

A person posted on X, "Ahhh Comrade Elon Musk is will to write off over half a million homeless people After all he's the #1 richest man he lives on Earth 2 where the rich live Elon Musk Did Say the Word 'Homeless' Is a Lie."

True: Elon Musk did say the word 'homeless' is a lie

The claim made by social media users is true as Elon Musk had made such a statement on X on December 10. He wrote, "In most cases, the word “homeless” is a lie. It’s usually a propaganda word for violent drug addicts with severe mental illness," while sharing a tweet by Jeremy Kauffman.

The Tesla Magnate also wrote in a post on X, "A significant portion of so-called “homeless people” in American cities are clearly not sane in any meaningful sense of the word. The word “homeless” is a lie, as it implies that all they’re missing is housing, as if they just got a little behind on their mortgage payments. An accurate description of many would be: extremely drug-addicted and mentally zombified. This is not subtle."

Apart from these, Musk has repeatedly posted the idea that the "homeless industrial complex" exists, a long-standing theory that funds given to organizations claiming to help homeless people do little to reduce the number of people lacking housing, according to Snopes.

In a January 2024 post he wrote, "As @garrytan would say, the homeless industrial complex profits greatly from never solving the problem – they would lose over a billion dollars of revenue per year!"

Similarly, in a September 2024 post, he mentioned, "The “homeless” aka “drug zombie” industrial complex is very real."

Elon Musk says 'homeless is a misnomer'

Elon Musk told former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson in October, "Homeless is a misnomer. It implies that someone got a little bit behind on their mortgage, and if you just gave them a job, they’d be back on their feet."

He added, "What you actually have are violent drug zombies with dead eyes, and needles and human feces on the street." According to Musk, the more money is spent in combating homelessness, "the worse it gets". 

Moreover, the Space X founder is now directing lawmakers and the White House to make drastic, potentially devastating cuts to federal agencies that support millions of vulnerable Americans, including thousands of people experiencing homelessness, according to Independent.

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.