Says Elon Musk posted on X, “Any harassment of Trump supporters using the term ‘weird’ will be punished.”
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No, Elon Musk didn’t say X users will be punished for calling Trump supporters ‘weird’
Democrats have started wielding the word "weird" against former President Donald Trump and his 2024 running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio. But X owner Elon Musk hasn’t threatened to ban users who use it against Republicans on his social media platform.
"‘Weird’ is being used as a slur against Trump supporters, and it will not be tolerated on this platform," reads what looks like a July 30 X post from Musk. "Trump supporters should not have to face ridicule for their beliefs. Any harassment of Trump supporters using the term ‘weird’ will be punished."
An Aug. 7 Instagram post sharing an image of the purported X post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)
This image appears to be fabricated.
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Such a post doesn’t show up on Musk’s X feed, nor did we find any credible news coverage that he made this statement on the platform — or elsewhere — and then deleted it.
Musk’s X account also features an X logo next to his handle. The image in the Instagram post includes no such logo.
We rate claims Musk said this False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, Aug. 7, 2024
Elon Musk X account, visited Aug. 15, 2024
Politico, How Trump and Vance went from a ‘threat to democracy’ to ‘weird,’ July 26, 2024
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No, Elon Musk didn’t say X users will be punished for calling Trump supporters ‘weird’
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