Musk Fires Up After Dead Congressman Attacks Trump Online
Late Rep. Raúl Grijalva seemed to slam Trump and Musk in a post on X.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
An eerie moment unfolded Thursday afternoon when a post appeared on the X, supposedly from Rep. Raúl Grijalva, condemning President Donald Trump’s move to slash thousands of jobs at the U.S. Department of Education.
The post, which presented Grijalva’s concerns for education and social justice, was published at 3:16 p.m., a few hours after Grijalva, died that morning.
The congressman’s official account shared a passionate critique of the president’s decision, accusing Trump of undermining essential student aid programs and protections for students with disabilities.
US Representative Raúl Grijalva, Democrat of Arizona, joined by environmental activists, speaks during a news conference on the introduction of the "A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice for All Act", outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 22, 2023.
STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
The Arizona representative’s statement on X painted a grim picture, stating, “26 million students across every school district—rural, suburban and urban—will lose access to critical funding to help them get succeed.”
He also wrote, “12 million students will lose access to career and technical education, including pathways to good-paying jobs through apprenticeship programs in trades and STEM careers.”
President Trump’s latest reckless decision to fire thousands of employees at the Department of Education jeopardizes critical student aid programs, weakens protections for students’ civil rights, and undermines essential support for students with disabilities. This move severely…
— Raul M. Grijalva (@RepRaulGrijalva) March 13, 2025
The Democratic congressman further emphasized the threat to students from low-income families, adding, “10 million students from low-income families could lose access to higher education,” and “7.5 million students with Individualized Education Plans will lose access to special education services.”
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The post concluded with a sharp denunciation: “Trump and Musk are prioritizing tax cuts for the wealthy over the future of our students. It’s selfish, and it’s illegal.”
The tragic irony of the situation was that Grijalva, a steadfast champion for progressive causes, had already died.
His family released a statement confirming that the 77-year-old congressman had succumbed to complications from cancer treatments earlier that morning, after a long and brave battle.
The irony didn’t escape the notice of many, including prominent right-wing voices on the platform. Elon Musk himself responded, pointing out, “Whoever wrote the above post is impersonating a deceased Congressman.”
WASHINGTON - MARCH 30: Flanked by, (L-R) Rep. Parker Griffith (D-AL), Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV), Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA), Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), Sen. Robert Bennett (R-UT), and Matthew Reeve, son of the late actor Christopher Reeve, U.S. President Barack Obama (C) signs H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, into law during an East Room event March 30, 2009 at the White House in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Other conservatives chimed in.
Andy Kaczynski, a right-leaning CNN senior politics reporter, replied to Grijalva’s post, writing, “amazing someone thought to hit the send button after he died on this.” He later responded to the official statement from the late congressman’s office and wrote: “totally wild there was a weekend at bernie’s going on here.”
Republican political consultant Joey Mannarino took to X to poke fun at the odd situation.
“This guy was literally dead when his staff wrote this tweet and sent it out for him,” he wrote, adding: “That’s how fake the Democrat Party is.”
Grijalva had been a fixture in Arizona politics for over two decades, first elected in 2002. He became a stalwart advocate for progressive values, especially in the areas of environmental protection and education. As the longest-serving co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a senior member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, his influence was far-reaching.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Grijalva’s office for comment.
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