An audio clip of JD Vance criticising billionaire Elon Musk has gone viral on X, with the US Vice President calling it “fake AI-generated”.
In the clip, which was posted by a religious leader from Springfield on X, Vance can purportedly be heard accusing Musk of “cosplaying as a great American leader.”
“He’s not even an American. He is from South Africa,” Vance can be heard saying in the clip.
He also claims that Musk’s actions are not “helping” the Trump administration but making them “look bad”.
“He’s not even an American. He is from South Africa. And he’s cosplaying as this great American leader.”
– Vice President @JDVance on @elonmusk
The infighting is in full swing.
Happy Monday! pic.twitter.com/Jf0u9z1Uvu
— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) March 24, 2025
“He has the audacity to act like he is an elected official,” Vance said of Musk, who has been appointed by President Donald Trump to downsize the federal government.
Bishop Talbert W Swan II posted the clip on X with a comment that “the infighting is in full swing. Happy Monday!”
Responding to his post, Vance on Monday said it was a “fake AI-generated clip”.
“I’m not surprised this guy doesn’t have the intelligence to recognize this fact, but I wonder if he has the integrity to delete it now that he knows it’s false,” he added.
It’s a fake AI-generated clip. I’m not surprised this guy doesn’t have the intelligence to recognize this fact, but I wonder if he has the integrity to delete it now that he knows it’s false.
If not, it could be defamation. I guess we’ll find out! https://t.co/raS524I4kq
— JD Vance (@JDVance) March 24, 2025
The fake clip went viral days after Vance acknowledged that Musk, who leads the task force dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has made “mistakes” while executing mass firings of federal employees.
“Elon himself has said that sometimes you do something, you make a mistake, and then you undo the mistake. I’m accepting of mistakes,” Vance said in an interview.
This month, Musk also reportedly clashed with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in front of President Trump.
During a meeting inside the Cabinet Room of the White House, Musk accused Rubio of not firing enough staff, while the latter laid out elaborate plans of reorganising the State Department, according to The New York Times.
