- Elon Musk and Congressman Ro Khanna clashed over alleged child deaths linked to USAID cuts
- Khanna cited a Lancet study tying Musk's Department of Government Efficiency cuts to millions of deaths
- Musk denied allegations, threatened to sue Khanna, and labeled him "Ro the Robber"
A bitter social media war erupted Monday between Elon Musk and Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna after the California Democrat said the tech billionaire "needs to answer" for the deaths of millions of children linked to his Department of Government Efficiency cuts.
How It All Started
Speaking on the "I've Had It" podcast over the weekend, Khanna said people celebrate Musk for creating 4,400 millionaires but ignore the 4.5 million children worldwide he "possibly sentenced to death" by dismantling USAID, citing a peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet in July 2025 that estimated proposed cuts to USAID could lead to as many as 14 million preventable deaths worldwide by 2030, including 4.5 million children under the age of five.
He added that Musk "needs to be subpoenaed" and investigated once Democrats regain power in Congress.
Musk Hits Back Hard
Musk responded by sharing a New York Post article on Khanna's remarks, writing simply, "Time to sue this liar."
He later expanded the challenge in an interview with CNBC, saying, "I challenge him to a debate ... do it on CNN, do it on CNBC, do it at a university, he can pick the setting and let's debate what happened at DOGE, let's debate why I'm for a wealth tax."
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Khanna also noted that Musk had previously been supportive of him, praising a book he wrote and his opposition to X censoring a story about Hunter Biden, before souring over the Lancet study citation.
The spat underscores deepening tension between Silicon Valley and Washington as Musk, newly minted as the world's first trillionaire following SpaceX's IPO, faces mounting scrutiny from progressive lawmakers over DOGE's legacy.
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