Elon Musk’s War on Government: The 'Lie, Slash, Destroy' Playbook Comes for Social Security
There’s a familiar rhythm to Elon Musk’s engagement with federal institutions:
Step 1: Claim there’s massive fraud.
Step 2: Demand radical disruption.
Step 3: Dismantle the agency.
Step 4: Watch everything fall apart.
He did it with Twitter. He did it with the U.S. Agency for International Development USAID). He’s doing it across dozens of federal departments under the Orwellian-named Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Now, he’s got Social Security in his sights.
But here’s the thing: the fraud Elon is shouting about? It barely exists.
Musk’s Pattern: Blow Up First, Ask Questions Later
Musk’s tactics haven’t changed much from his Twitter takeover days. As NPR reports, he’s bringing the same “break first, ask questions later” approach to the U.S. government, despite holding no actual authority himself. He issues directives, often via mysterious new emails like hr@opm.gov, and federal agencies scramble to comply—some out of fear, some out of confusion.
All the while, Trump cheers him on, urging more aggressive action, regardless of legality or coherence.
This duo’s “reform” efforts have created waves of chaos, mass firings, and budget-slashing. And now, they’ve trained their sights on one of the most beloved and scrutinized programs in American history: Social Security.
The Big Lie: “Vampires Collecting Social Security”
Musk and Trump claim Social Security is drowning in waste and fraud. Trump said the system is riddled with “shocking levels of incompetence,” and Musk has called it “a Ponzi scheme” and “the biggest fraud in history.” He even claimed, with zero evidence, that over 20 million Americans aged 100+ are receiving benefits. In one public rant, he described them as “a lot of vampires collecting Social Security.”
Let’s cut through the fog.
The real number? 202.
Not 20 million. Not 16 million. Not even 1,000.
Just 202 cases of improper payments to deceased individuals were found after an internal audit earlier this year.
And even that number is misleading. Most of the supposedly “fraudulent” recipients were already flagged and in the process of being removed from the rolls. The massive fraud Musk conjured up? It’s smoke and mirrors.
So How Much Fraud Is There Really?
The Social Security Administration is one of the most audited, watched, and scrutinized arms of the federal government. According to the agency’s own inspector general:
Less than 1% of payments in recent years were improper.
Only 3% of those improper payments were due to actual fraud
In 2023, Social Security didn’t even make the GAO’s list of the top 16 agencies with high improper payment rates
Yet Musk keeps throwing out baseless claims: that there’s $500 to $700 billion in annual fraud, nearly half the total paid out in benefits each year. That’s not just wrong—it’s mathematically impossible.
The Real Consequences of Musk’s Lies
Here’s where it gets dangerous.
DOGE has already started gutting Social Security’s infrastructure:
Canceled IT contracts have caused system crashes “nearly every day.”
Cuts to phone support—a service used in 40% of all claims—could soon become reality, effectively locking out elderly and disabled Americans who can’t access online systems.
Routine services like verifying birth certificates or processing disability claims are delayed or halted due to spending restrictions on basic resources.
In plain terms: People are suffering.
And all this is happening under the guise of fighting a fraud problem that doesn’t exist.
Musk Doesn’t Understand Social Security — Or Pretends Not To
In one Fox interview, Musk claimed entitlements are a scheme to attract and “pay” undocumented immigrants to turn them into Democratic voters. That’s not just wrong, it’s offensive.
Undocumented immigrants don’t qualify for Social Security. In fact, many pay into the system using fake or borrowed Social Security numbers, contributing billions of dollars annually—without receiving a dime in return.
Ironically, deporting those individuals en masse (as Trump and Musk are eager to do) would blow a massive hole in Social Security’s revenue. Estimates show their plans could cost the system up to $750 billion over a decade.
So let’s get this straight:
They’re cutting services.
They’re choking resources.
They’re alienating contributors.
They’re promoting false narratives.
And all the while claiming they’re “protecting” your benefits.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Be Fooled
This isn’t about fraud.
It’s not about efficiency.
It’s about power and destruction.
Musk is not the man to save Social Security. He’s the man who might break it beyond repair. And if we don’t call out the lies now, we’ll be left picking up the pieces later.
Social Security doesn’t need a billionaire with a chainsaw.
It needs leadership that respects facts, not fantasy.
Subscribe for more reality-based breakdowns of Elon’s destroying the fabric of American government and society. I’m Jack—and I call it like I see it.