A supposedly “leaked” audio clip circulating on social media claims to reveal disparaging remarks made by Vice President JD Vance towards billionaire Elon Musk. But is it real?
The clip, according to Newsweek, appears to have first been posted on Sunday by the TikTok user known as “Joseiitalia.”
In it, a voice alleged to belong to Vance can be heard complaining that, despite being from South Africa, Musk has taken an outsized role in the U.S. government.
“Everything that he’s doing is getting criticized in the media and he says that he’s helping, but he’s not,” the voice says of Musk. “He’s making us look bad.”
The voice goes on to accuse Musk of having “the audacity to act like he is an elected official” before declaring: “I am an elected official, I am the important one in this situation.”
Given the lack of further details, as well as questions over how a little-known TikTok user known for sharing content critical of President Donald Trump would have obtained such a sensitive recording, skepticism reigned online.
“I’d love for this to be true, but this sounds like AI,” one TikToker said.
“Where did you find this?” another asked. “I love it, but I’m worried this could be AI.”
But among the clip’s more than 2 million viewers, many are treating it as if it is undeniably true.
“JD Vance, you just find out Elon from South Africa, unbelievable!” one commenter wrote.
“Am I AGREEING with JD Vance?!” a second user questioned.
The video is now getting spammed across YouTube, with dozens of posts hyping the audio.
“LEAKED AUDIO – JD Vance Slams Elon Musk,” read one post with over 100,000 views.
The audio has also gone viral on X, where users similarly debated its authenticity. Some prominent left-wing accounts were quick to paint the clip as legitimate, and it got a share from the hacker collective Anonymous.
Leaked audio of JD Vance talking about Elon and how he’s not an elected official and how he’s ruining the country. “He isn’t even American, he’s South African”. pic.twitter.com/fplKJ05Eo3
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) March 24, 2025
“Leaked audio of JD Vance in a jealous rant…” a popular self-described Democrat poster wrote. “Let’s just say JD Vance is no fan of Elon Musk and thinks he makes him look bad. But the truth is—Trump and Vance don’t need Elon to make them look bad.”
But conservatives, including a representative for Vance himself, are pushing back.
In a statement to X, William Martin, communications director for the vice president, said the audio clip was an unequivocal hoax.
“This audio is 100% fake and most certainly not the Vice President,” Martin wrote.
This audio is 100% fake and most certainly not the Vice President. https://t.co/9NcbMDqvpA
— William Martin (@wsmartin218) March 24, 2025
The Daily Dot reached out to Joseiitalia over TikTok to inquire about the clip’s origins but did not receive a reply.
For now, there is no evidence indicating that the purported audio of Vance is anything more than a fabrication.
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