Trump and Musk vs. Reuters: When Facts Are Inconvenient, Just Yell “Fake News”
On February 13, Donald Trump and Elon Musk—the Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid of online outrage—teamed up for their latest hobby: publicly attacking journalists. Their target of the week? Reuters.
What sparked the outrage? A completely misrepresented Pentagon contract from 2018.
✔ The reality: A Reuters-owned analytics division (TRSS) once had a $9 million Pentagon contract to test cybersecurity threats—completely separate from Reuters’ journalism division.
✔ The Trump-Musk spin: Reuters was secretly working for the U.S. government to spread propaganda.
✔ The proof? A sketchy contract title—“Large Scale Social Deception”—which, to anyone with common sense, referred to testing how adversaries spread misinformation online.
To Trump and Musk, however, it was clear evidence that Reuters was a government mouthpiece, and they responded in the most predictable way possible:
🚨 ANGRY SOCIAL MEDIA MELTDOWN 🚨
Trump’s Truth Social Rant: ‘GIVE BACK THE MONEY, NOW!’
✔ Trump, who never met a conspiracy theory he didn’t love, immediately demanded that Reuters “return the money”—which makes as much sense as asking a car company to refund a military tank contract.
✔ Musk, America’s richest online troll, jumped in to amplify the attack, because apparently running Tesla and Twitter isn’t keeping him busy enough.
Reuters to Trump: “Are You High?”
In a rare display of corporate patience with absolute nonsense, Thomson Reuters issued a statement explaining, in adult terms, that:
✔ The Pentagon contract had nothing to do with Reuters News.
✔ It was competitively awarded to a separate business unit for cybersecurity.
✔ Reuters’ newsroom is independent and follows strict journalism standards.
Even the Defense Department had to step in and clarify that the contract was not about spreading government propaganda but defending against online threats.
But of course, once Trump and Musk fire up the outrage machine, facts become optional.
Why This Matters: Journalism vs. Authoritarian Intimidation
This isn’t just another dumb online spat—it’s part of a broader campaign to discredit the press.
✔ Trump and Musk have both openly attacked major media outlets for years, branding critical reporting as “fake news” or “corporate propaganda.”
✔ When they don’t like a story, they don’t dispute the facts—they attack the institution itself.
✔ By falsely linking Reuters to government deception, they’re feeding a narrative that all mainstream journalism is corrupt.
The Real Goal: Keep the Media in Check
This is classic Trumpism—he doesn’t just want a friendly press, he wants an obedient one.
✔ If news organizations fear public attacks, they’re less likely to aggressively report on Trump’s administration.
✔ If enough people believe that “all media is corrupt,” they’ll ignore actual scandals in favor of Trump’s curated version of reality.
✔ If Musk keeps amplifying these narratives, it fuels an alternative media ecosystem where truth is whatever Trump or his allies decide it is.
The Bottom Line: The Press is Still Fighting Back
Reuters immediately pushed back, refusing to let their name get dragged through the mud. Other media organizations are watching closely, because this won’t be the last time Trump and Musk try to kneecap a news outlet.
✔ This is bigger than one contract. It’s about whether the free press can survive relentless political intimidation.
✔ If Trump wins this information war, journalism doesn’t just suffer—democracy does.
✔ And if Musk keeps playing attack dog for Trump’s agenda, expect more headlines to be dictated by billionaires with Twitter accounts, not actual reporters.
Because in Trump’s 2025 America, the First Amendment is just another obstacle to bulldoze.
