The official X (formerly Twitter) account of Elmo, the beloved Sesame Street character, appeared to be hacked on Sunday, sparking alarm after it posted a string of vulgar, antisemitic, and politically charged messages aimed at former U.S. President Donald Trump and others.
One now-deleted post falsely attributed to Elmo read:
“Elmo says ALL JEWS SHOULD DIE. FK JEWS. DONALD TRUMP IS NETANYAHU’S PUPPET BECAUSE HE IS IN THE EPSTEIN FILES. JEWS CONTROL THE WORLD AND NEED TO BE EXTERMINATED.”**
Another disturbing post said:
“RELEASE THE FILES @realDonaldTrump CHILD F****R.”
The inflammatory content prompted swift outrage online before the account was quickly restored. All inappropriate messages have since been removed. As of now, Sesame Workshop has not confirmed the hack, and no group or individual has claimed responsibility.
The incident comes amid renewed scrutiny of the Trump administration following revelations by the Department of Justice that no Jeffrey Epstein files are in existence, contrary to widespread speculation.
Facing backlash from some supporters, Trump defended Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has been criticized for not pursuing the so-called “Epstein files.” Writing on Truth Social, Trump said:
“What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals’? They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening.”
He also directed FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino to focus their efforts on “real priorities,” while dismissing the Epstein controversy as a product of disinformation from the Obama, Clinton, and Biden-era officials.
“For years, it’s Epstein, over and over again… They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me,” Trump claimed.
The hack, coupled with the rising political tension over the Epstein case and intra-MAGA infighting, reflects a chaotic atmosphere online and in Washington as the 2024 campaign season intensifies.