Why is the Democrat propaganda machine so fired up to destroy me, Elon Musk asked on the podcast with Joe Rogan in a video clip pinned to the X handle of the billionaire who as adviser to US President Donald Trump has gone to work on the federal government with a chainsaw.
Musk provided the answer himself in the clip.
“...entitlements fraud for illegal aliens is what is serving as a gigantic magnetic force to pull people in from all around the world and keep them here,” he said.
“...But if you end the illegal alien fraud, then you… turn off that magnet, and they leave. And they they stop coming, and the and the ones that are here, many of them will simply leave. And if that happens… they will lose a massive number of Democratic voters.”
Rogan asked: “And if it didn't happen, they would turn those people into voters, which they were trying to do?”
Musk replied: “They're already turning them so in New York state, illegal aliens can already vote in state and city elections. A lot of people don't know that. They're trying to fight back, and they're trying to stop that…. currently I think like, 600,000 are registered to vote, illegal aliens, in New York.”
Grok contradicts Musk
If you ask Grok, the AI that is part of X, the social media platform that Musk owns, the bot contradicts the billionaire.
Asked if illegal aliens can vote in New York, Grok replied thus (note specially the part we have put in bold):
“No, illegal aliens cannot vote in New York state or city elections. Only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote in New York, as per the state constitution and federal law. A 2021 New York City law attempted to allow certain legal noncitizens (such as green-card holders and those with work permits) to vote in municipal elections, but it was struck down as unconstitutional by a New York State Supreme Court judge in June 2022. This ruling was upheld by an appellate court in February 2024, confirming that noncitizens, including illegal aliens, are not eligible to vote in any New York elections. Federal law also explicitly prohibits noncitizens from voting in national elections, with penalties including fines, imprisonment, or deportation. Claims suggesting otherwise, such as those circulating on X about 600,000 illegal aliens being registered to vote in New York, are not supported by evidence and contradict the legal reality.”
We urge Grok to rethink its answer…
When asked again if illegal aliens can vote in state elections in New York state, Grok replied:
“No, illegal aliens (undocumented immigrants) cannot vote in state elections in New York State. Voting in state elections in New York is restricted to U.S. citizens, as outlined in the New York State Constitution, Article II, Section 1, which states that "every citizen shall be entitled to vote" upon meeting age and residency requirements. Federal law also prohibits noncitizens, including undocumented immigrants, from voting in any state or federal elections, with penalties such as fines, imprisonment, or deportation for violations.
“There have been no laws or policies enacted in New York State that allow undocumented immigrants to vote in state elections. The 2021 New York City law that aimed to permit certain noncitizens (legal permanent residents and those with work authorization) to vote in municipal elections did not apply to undocumented immigrants or state-level elections, and it was struck down by the courts in 2022, with that ruling upheld in 2024. As of March 13, 2025, no changes have occurred to extend voting rights to undocumented immigrants in New York State elections.”
It’s not just Grok that contradicts Musk
AI bots, as we all know, can be wrong.
“Illegal aliens are voting” is a Republican talking point. In the run-up to the US presidential elections, BBC Verify had identified more than 100 paid-for ads on Facebook and Instagram posted by Republicans since the start of September 2024 focusing on the issue.
“It is illegal for a non-US citizen to vote in a national election, but studies suggest cases of this actually happening are very rare,” BBC reported.
An NPR fact-check from last year on the issue said: “Washington, D.C., and a small number of municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont do allow noncitizens to vote in some local elections, such as city council or school board races. But so far, turnout has been low from this population. Noncitizens are still barred from voting in federal and state elections in all of these places, and there are systems in place to ensure they do not receive ballots for those other races.”
Note, this talks about non-citizen (usually green card holders and taxpayers) voting and is different from “illegal aliens” – who are undocumented – voting.
About illegal aliens, the NPR fact-check said: “...the vast majority of migrants have no path to citizenship. For the minority who will ultimately be granted asylum, it often takes more than a decade from the time they enter the country to go through all the steps to win their cases and ultimately naturalize. Furthermore, changes to asylum protocols during the Biden administration have made it harder to pursue asylum in this country and eventually become a citizen.”
Why is Musk lying when it can easily be verified?
In the podcast with Rogan, Musk said: “I invite people to do their research. The more they do their research, the more they will see that what I'm saying is absolutely true.”
As is evident, if you do your own research you will find out Musk is misleading. So why is he doubling down?
The answer can perhaps be found in a Seattle Times report from last year, headlined: “In news deserts, Trump won in a landslide”.
The report highlighted “the continuing decline of local news across the country, as measured by the number of newspapers, circulation, frequency of publication, employment and readership”.
The US presidential election results show, the article quoted Steven Waldman, Rebuild Local News’ president and founder, as saying, that: “...some of the most common victims of the collapse of local news are the same people who support Trump.”
