Elon Musk Calls This Schumer Clip ‘Pure Gold’ – The Hypocrisy Everyone’s Talking About!

By: Bruce Hoenshell, Political Correspondent

April 4, 2025

Washington, D.C. – A resurfaced 1996 video of then-Congressman Chuck Schumer has set the internet ablaze, exposing what conservatives are calling a masterclass in Democratic hypocrisy—and Elon Musk is leading the charge. The clip, which aired on C-SPAN during a U.S. House session on March 19, 1996, shows Schumer passionately advocating for an anti-fraud amendment to tighten security measures on Social Security cards, arguing that illegal immigrants are drawn to the U.S. primarily to exploit entitlement programs. “This is an anti-fraud amendment,” Schumer declared, adding, “The number one answer we give our constituents is when they come here, they can get jobs, get benefits against the law because of fraud.”

The video, shared by Western Lensman on X, caught the eye of Elon Musk, who reposted it with a succinct but scathing comment: “This is pure gold 😂 The 1996 model Schumer is right!” Musk’s endorsement, viewed over 1.2 million times, has conservatives buzzing about the stark contrast between Schumer’s past and present stances. Back then, Schumer sounded like a precursor to the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk currently leads and which has targeted Social Security fraud as a key initiative. A 2025 Business Insider report noted that DOGE is investigating the Social Security Administration for sending payments to deceased Americans—a mission Schumer might have once supported.

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The hypocrisy doesn’t stop with Schumer. Other prominent Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi and Bernie Sanders, have been caught in similar time warps. A 1996 clip shared by @mazemoore shows Pelosi railing against trade deficits with China, while a 2008 video posted by @WallStreetApes captures Sanders slamming free trade deals for hurting American workers—positions that align closely with Trump’s current tariff policies. Yet today, these same Democrats decry Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, set to take effect on April 2, 2025, as reckless. “When the Democrats do it, it’s good. When the Republicans do it, it’s bad,” @WallStreetApes wrote on X, a sentiment echoed across conservative circles.

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Incredible clip from 1996. Nancy Pelosi on tariffs and the trade deficit with China.

"On this day, your member of Congress could have drawn the line to say to the President of the United States, do something about this US-China trade relationship that is a job loser for the… pic.twitter.com/DFlQ9wWSKh

— MAZE (@mazemoore) April 3, 2025

Bernie Sanders WANTED TARIFFS in 2008

Bernie Sanders said not having Tariffs in America means all our manufacturing goes overseas and it’s the same thing as giving corporations the “freedom to throw American workers out on the street”

What changed?!?pic.twitter.com/lCYHgL2cW8

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) April 3, 2025

Musk’s DOGE role has made him a lightning rod for criticism, but the Schumer clip has given Trump supporters fresh ammunition. “Chuck Schumer in 1996 sounds like he’d be cheering for DOGE today,” wrote @TheUnitedSpot__ on X. Others, like @FinalTelegraph, called Schumer’s flip-flop a “jaw-dropping betrayal,” pointing to estimates that illegal immigrants drain billions from welfare programs annually, including Social Security, often through fake IDs. A 2025 Twitchy article noted that while illegal immigrants pay into Social Security with stolen numbers, some exploit tax refunds—up to $14,000—without working, a loophole Schumer once wanted to close.

For conservatives, the clip is more than a gotcha moment; it’s proof of a deeper double standard. As @rhapsodyboard quipped on X, “It’s amazing how this works.” With Musk and Trump pushing to root out fraud and secure borders, Schumer’s 1996 words are a haunting reminder of what Democrats once stood for—and what they’ve abandoned in their quest for power. The hypocrisy is undeniable, and thanks to Musk, everyone’s talking about it.