Donald Trump is lashing out over a $9 million government contract he personally awarded to “Radical Left Reuters,” demanding the money be returned. His rage comes after Elon Musk, on his X (formerly Twitter) platform, pushed a misleading and inflammatory claim accusing Reuters of being part of a “total scam” for allegedly being paid millions by the government. But the facts show Trump himself authorized the deal during his first term, and the money went to a Reuters subsidiary, not the news agency.
In a Thursday morning tirade on social media, Trump blasted the deal, saying: “DOGE: Looks like Radical Left Reuters was paid $9,000,000 by the Department of Defense to study ‘large scale social deception.’ GIVE BACK THE MONEY, NOW!”
Trump’s social media rant followed a misleading tweet from Musk the night before, claiming that Reuters had been paid by the government for a “social engineering” program. Musk, already known for his anti-government stance, seemed to seize on a Reuters report highlighting Musk’s own government cost-cutting efforts driven more by ideology than practical savings.
Trump, eager to stoke outrage, continued: “DOGE: Why was Politico paid Millions of Dollars for NOTHING. Buying the press??? PAY BACK THE MONEY TO THE TAXPAYERS! How much has the Failing New York Times paid? Is this the money that is keeping it open??? THEY ARE BUYING THE PRESS.”
The misinformation campaign didn’t stop there. Musk echoed the claim in his tweet, writing: “Reuters was paid millions of dollars by the US government for ‘large scale social deception.’ That is literally what it says on the purchase order! They’re a total scam. Just wow.”
Musk’s accusation was based on a post by Mario Nawfal, a social media influencer aligned with Musk. Nawfal claimed the Department of Defense paid Reuters $9 million for a “social engineering” project. But what they’re pushing is not just misleading—it’s a blatant distortion of reality. In truth, the contract was awarded to Thomson Reuters Special Services, a separate entity from the Reuters news service, back in 2018, and it had absolutely nothing to do with spreading misinformation.
The project was actually about cybersecurity, specifically preventing cyberattacks and phishing schemes—hardly the scandalous conspiracy Musk and Trump are trying to make it.
The contract, which was awarded under Trump’s administration, was funded by the Department of Defense’s DARPA, aimed at developing technology to defend against social engineering attacks. These attacks manipulate people into revealing sensitive data or clicking on harmful links. The work was completed by the subsidiary, Thomson Reuters Special Services, in 2022.
Despite Musk and Trump’s hysteria over a supposed “social engineering” plot, the truth couldn’t be further from their claims. The goal of the contract was to enhance national security and protect citizens from cyber threats—not to spread fake news or promote any political agenda.
Even worse, Trump and Musk’s aggressive accusations completely ignore the fact that the contract was awarded under Trump’s own watch. Their attacks on Reuters, based on misinformation and half-truths, are a desperate attempt to distract from the real issue: a project aimed at strengthening cybersecurity, which the Trump administration itself helped authorize.
Their latest media attack on Reuters is just another chapter in the long-running crusade by Trump and Musk to discredit legitimate news outlets and government programs they don’t agree with. While they rally against “fraud” and “waste,” they’ve failed to provide any real evidence of wrongdoing.
