Fact Check: Did Elon Musk sob to Donald Trump about Tesla 'going down' in leaked audio clip?

Fact Check: Did Elon Musk sob to Donald Trump about Tesla 'going down' in leaked audio clip?
An online rumor claimed Elon Musk sobbed to Donald Trump about Tesla 'going down' in a leaked audio clip (Getty Images)

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Elon Musk's Tesla company recently faced vandalism across the US following the Space X CEO-led Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) mass federal government layoffs that led to several employees getting fired. 

Amid this, a rumor circulated online claiming that Musk sobbingly told President Donald Trump about Tesla "going down" in a leaked audio clip. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Donald Trump offers his hand to Elon Musk back stage during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds on October 05, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. This is the first time that Trump has returned to Butler since he was injured during an attempted assassination on July 13. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Donald Trump offers his hand to Elon Musk back stage during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds on October 5, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Claim: Elon Musk sobbed to Trump about Tesla 'going down' in leaked audio clip

In March 2025, an audio clip claiming to feature the voices of Elon Musk and Donald Trump went viral across social media.

The alleged clip had Musk expressing concern over Tesla's future, saying, "Tesla is going down," with Trump allegedly offering reassurance, saying, "Soon everybody will be buying again", according to Snopes.

On March 31, 2025, X user @YourAnonCentral posted the audio clip, which has so far reached more than 1.4 million views.



 

Moreover, the user shared the clip as a quote tweet of an earlier post from March 12, which read, "So it turns out Musk was audibly sobbing at the Oval Office which may have triggered the bizarre Tesla Whitehouse promo."

The March 12 post supposedly referred to an event held on March 11, where Trump and Musk showcased Tesla vehicles in front of the White House, per the fact-checking outlet.

The viral clip spread across other social media platforms such as  Instagram, YouTube, Threads, and TikTok.

False: No credible evidence to back the viral claim

However, the claim made in the viral clip is false as there is no credible evidence that such a conversation ever took place, or that Musk sobbed to Donald Trump, per Snopes.

Moreover, no credible news outlets reported on any such news, and the audio also lacked verifiable context or evidence to back its authenticity, according to the fact-checking outlet.

Billionaire businessman Elon Musk arrives for a town hall wearing a cheesehead hat at the KI Convention Center on March 30, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The town hall is being held in front of the state’s high-profile Supreme Court election between Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel, who has been financially backed by Musk and endorsed by President Donald Trump, and Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Billionaire businessman Elon Musk arrives for a town hall wearing a cheesehead hat at the KI Convention Center on March 30, 2025, in Green Bay, Wisconsin (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Furthermore, AI-detection tools suggested that the clip was generated using artificial intelligence.

The viral clip had a TikTok watermark with the handle @elonmuskarmy3, which suggested that it was originally posted by that user, per Snopes.

Meanwhile, the DeepFake-o-meter tool assessed the audio as highly likely AI-generated, and placed the probability between 98.8 percent and 100 percent, the fact-checking outlet reported.

Elon Musk says Trump will go after perpetrators

In March, Elon Musk said that the POTUS would "go after" the perpetrators who are "pushing the lies" about Tesla.

While appearing on Fox News last month, Musk was asked by host Bret Baier, "There’s now been in these many cases, violence and vandalism at Tesla dealerships – how does that affect your employees, your customers?"

The host added, "What does it mean to you?"



 

Replying to the question, Musk claimed that the main culprits are the ones who propagate "lies" about Tesla and will be thoroughly punished.

"Well, I think a great wrong is being done to the people at Tesla and to our customers," Musk said.

He continued, "And yet people are committing violence. They are firebombing Tesla dealerships."

CEO of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on February 20, 2025 in Oxon Hill, Maryland. The annual four-day gathering brings together conservative U.S. lawmakers, international leaders, media personalities and businessmen to discuss and champion conservative ideas. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
CEO of Tesla, and SpaceX Elon Musk speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on February 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Maryland (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The tech-billionaire noted, "They are shooting guns into stores. They’re threatening people. You know, they’re issuing death threats against me and other Tesla personnel."

He added that the vandalisms are fueled by the propaganda of the extreme left and that these people are the main culprits, per Mediaite

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