In a twist that has stirred considerable controversy on social media, it has come to light that taxpayer funding which inflamed right-wing outrage on the platform X was actually allocated during President Donald Trump’s first term.
The spotlight turned on a Texas-based sex toy store that received a $14,000 federal grant, initially under Trump’s administration in 2020.
The furor erupted when a conservative influencer on X shared a screenshot from USASpending.gov—a public portal that details government grants, loans, and contracts—highlighting that federal money had been funneled to ‘Divas Adult Toy Store.’
The post quickly ignited a firestorm of criticism, with one user bluntly commenting “ew” and another asking, “How did this even get approved?”
The revelation prompted reactions across the political spectrum, with conservative commentator Kyle Becker chiming in humorously about the platform’s new role: “So @X has apparently turned into a non-profit auditing firm,” he tweeted, adding, “Gotta love it.”
Further investigation by journalists into the matter clarified the timing of the grant.
“Just looked this one up,” tweeted Matt Binder from Mashable.
“It was a small business grant awarded in 2020 during the first Trump administration.”
This funding comes into sharper focus against the backdrop of current efforts by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency to slash government expenditure.
The episode has stirred not only debate over federal spending priorities but also broader accusations and conspiracy theories targeting the media.
Recently, Politico found itself at the center of a conspiracy theory propagated by right-wing influencers, who claimed the outlet was paid by Democrats to produce favorable coverage.
This theory was debunked as the payments in question were found to be for subscriptions to Politico Pro, not for biased reporting.
