Elon Musk’s paranoid conspiracy theory about Social Security, explained

A version of this story appeared in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. “This is why the Democrats want to destroy me,” Musk says, previewing the clip, in which he explains a cynical view of the US political system where, he says, Democrats are plotting to use entitlement spending such as Social Security, Medicare and disability payments to lure undocumented immigrants – he calls them “illegals” – into the US in order to take over the American government for all time. It does bear some similarities to Trump’s allegation that migrants are “poisoning the blood” of the country or the far right “replacement theory.” Musk hasn’t provided any evidence that large numbers of undocumented people vote in US elections. There’s an argument that paranoid conspiracy theories like this should not be amplified, but this particular conspiracy theory appears to be behind Musk’s talk about the need to modify Social Security, Medicare and other entitlement spending programs. MUSK: They’re already turning them – so in New York State, illegal aliens can already vote in state and city elections.