Megan Rapinoe’s X account still active, claim of Elon Musk ban is false | Fact check
The claim: Elon Musk banned Megan Rapinoe from X
A Sept. 15 Facebook post claims an outspoken female athlete was banned from a popular social media platform.
“Breaking: Elon Musk Banned Megan Rapinoe From Twitter,” reads the post. “Full story in the first comment.”
It was shared more than 50 times in six days.
Our rating: False
Rapinoe’s account on X, formerly Twitter, was still up as of Sept. 21. The story in the comment below the post claims the supposed ban happened after a back-and-forth exchange between Musk and Rapinoe on X, but there are no records of any such interaction.
No evidence of any X interactions between Rapinoe, Musk
Rapinoe’s X account, a formerly verified account under the handle @MPinoe, was still accessible as of Sept. 21.
A review of archived screenshots of the account did not indicate it had recently been banned.
Though the article linked in the comments claims a ban came after an argument between Rapinoe and Musk on X, there is no evidence of any such exchange. A search of both Musk and Rapinoe’s X accounts found no posts about or to the other.
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Rapinoe is an outspoken advocate for various issues, including race, gender equality and LGBTQ rights. She has referred to herself as a “walking protest” and has knelt during the U.S. national anthem in protest of police brutality, as reported by CNN.
In various X posts, Musk has decried what he calls the “woke mind virus” that he claims is infiltrating institutions such as higher education and the media. He has also criticized what he described as an “anti-American self-destructive element in … elite circles within the U.S.,” Fox News reported.
Musk has banned various users since buying the social media platform in October 2022. They include journalists who tweeted or reported on Musk’s ownership of the company, comedian Kathy Griffin and Kanye West. The accounts have since been reinstated.
USA TODAY has previously debunked claims that Rapinoe stomped on an American flag, that Musk admitted to being a flat earther and that Musk intends to buy Meta.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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