Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

$
Viral image
Viral image
stated on August 7, 2024 in an Instagram post:

Says Elon Musk posted on X, “Any harassment of Trump supporters using the term ‘weird’ will be punished.”

False
By Ciara O'Rourke
August 15, 2024

No, Elon Musk didn’t say X users will be punished for calling Trump supporters ‘weird’

If your time is short

  • This X post appears to be fabricated. 

See the sources for this fact-check

Democrats have started wielding the word “weird” against former President Donald Trump and his 2024 running mate, Sen. JD 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. 

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

 

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Ciara O'Rourke
Viral image
stated on April 2, 2025 in a Facebook post:
“White hats to investigate Wisconsin Supreme Court election.”
False
Facebook posts
stated on March 28, 2025 in a Facebook post:
Photo shows a missing police officer in “extreme danger.”
Pants on Fire!
Facebook posts
stated on March 28, 2025 in a Facebook post:
Images show damage from an “earthquake in Thailand.”
False

No, Elon Musk didn’t say X users will be punished for calling Trump supporters ‘weird’

Jon Ossoff
stated on June 27, 2026 in a campaign speech:









Donald Trump
stated on June 23, 2026 in a speech in Macungie, Pennsylvania:

David Jolly
stated on June 11, 2026 in a speech:

Marsha Blackburn
stated on June 19, 2026 in an X post:





Steve Robinson
stated on June 5, 2026 in Fox News “The Ingraham Angle”:

Josh Hokit
stated on June 14, 2026 in a UFC event at the White House:


Donald Trump
stated on May 22, 2026 in remarks in Suffern, New York: