By Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller
WASHINGTON (AP) — US officials have not decided who is behind the obvious cyberattacks on social media site X, which restricts access to the platform for thousands of users, according to Trump administration officials who are familiar with continuing investigation into the issue.
The Monday suspension was described as a cyberattack by an official who was authorized to comment publicly on the matter and spoke on Tuesday on condition of anonymity. Officials stressed that while the Republican administration takes all cyberattacks against American companies seriously, the US government has not collected any specific information about the possibility that it may be behind the attack.
The comments allegedly had “IP addresses derived from the Ukrainian region” after appearing on the “Kudlow” show on the “Kudlow” of Fox Business Network.
However, cybersecurity experts quickly pointed out that this does not necessarily mean that the attacks occurred in Ukraine.
Musk purchased the then Twitter account in 2022 and is Tesla’s CEO.
His electric car company faces several headwinds as it has become the face of Trump’s efforts to dramatically reduce the size of the government through doge. Its shares plummeted 15% on Monday, the biggest loss in the day since September 2020.
Analysts say the mask’s shift to right-wing politics doesn’t seem to sit well with Tesla’s potential buyers, and is generally perceived as a wealthy, green liberal who has turned to electric vehicles in an attempt to cut fossil fuel emissions.
Tesla was also a target of protests and destruction in the US and elsewhere over the push for masks against massive federal layoffs, contract cancellations and other budget-fragile moves.
Trump said on his social media platform he would buy Tesla on Tuesday to demonstrate “the confidence and support of Elon Musk, a truly amazing American.”
“Why are you punished to use his incredible skills to make America great again?” Trump said.
Original issue: March 11, 2025, 1:38pm
