'Give me a call': Pete Buttigieg calls Elon Musk's bluff on hurricane relief claims

Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Friday called X CEO Elon Musk's bluff about the purported incompetence of the federal government's response to Hurricane Helene.

On Friday, Musk posted what he said was a text message from someone who was trying to deliver supplies and Starlink equipment — satellite communication gear developed by Musk's company SpaceX — to areas that were impacted by last week's hurricane, which caused unprecedented damage throughout the southeastern United States.

The person corresponding with Musk claimed that the Federal Aviation Administration was blocking private helicopters from going into the area with supplies, to which Musk replied, "The level of belligerent government incompetence is staggering!!"

Buttigieg, however, decided to respond directly to Musk to set the record straight.

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"No one is shutting down the airspace and FAA doesn’t block legitimate rescue and recovery flights," he replied. "If you’re encountering a problem give me a call."

"There are hundreds of reports of FEMA/FAA blocking flights," replied Musk. "This literally just happened. I will follow you. Please DM me the number to call."

Musk has become well known for pushing misinformation from his platform, such as when he promoted false claims about the violent attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, in 2022.

He has also regularly endorsed the writings of anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists and last month he deleted a post praising Tucker Carlson's interview with a self-proclaimed historian who claimed Winston Churchill was the real villain of World War II.