No, Elon Musk didn’t say ‘pride’ community couldn't buy Cybertrucks | Fact check
The claim: Elon Musk announced he won’t sell Cybertrucks to anybody in the ‘pride’ community
A Feb. 12 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims Tesla CEO Elon Musk plans to restrict who can buy the company’s electric pickup truck.
“BREAKING NEWS: Elon Musk announced that he will not sell Tesla Cybertruck to anyone belonging to the ‘pride’ community for the following reason,” reads the post, which also includes a link to an article that repeats the claim but provides no evidence to support it.
It was shared more than 100 times in six days. Similar posts were shared on Facebook and Threads.
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Our rating: False
The claim originated from a satirical social media account. There is no evidence Musk said Tesla will stop selling Cybertrucks to the “pride” community.
Claim about Musk restricting Cybertruck sales started as satire
Tesla's Cybertruck, a battery-powered truck with a distinctive triangular design, was first introduced in 2019, though deliveries didn’t begin until late 2023. Since then, Musk, the world’s richest man, has become an increasingly political figure. He contributed more than $250 million to groups that supported President Donald Trump’s campaign and has taken on a significant role in the new administration.
Many Cybertruck social media groups contain examples of drivers being targeted for their vehicle of choice, while news reports show multiple dealerships have been victimized by anti-Musk vandals, Paste BN reported.
But there is no evidence that Musk announced Tesla won’t sell Cybertrucks to members of the LGBTQ community. No credible news reports support the claim, and neither Musk nor Tesla have posted anything similar on X, the platform Musk owns. The claim originated on a satirical Facebook account called The Satire Times, which posted the claim on Feb. 11, the day before this Facebook post. The account’s bio reads, “Delivering hot news, but not always real.”
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The Facebook post is an example of what could be called "stolen satire," where claims written as satire and presented that way originally are reposted in a way that makes them appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled, as was the case here.
In a July 2024 interview with conservative commentator Jordan Peterson, Musk said his estranged transgender daughter was "killed" by the "woke mind virus" after he was tricked into agreeing to gender-affirming care procedures.
Paste BN reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
PolitiFact also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources
- Tesla, accessed Feb. 19, X search results
- Elon Musk, accessed Feb. 19, X search results
- The Satire Times, Feb. 11, Facebook post
- Paste BN, July 22, 2024, Musk says estranged child's gender-affirming care sparked fight against 'woke mind virus'
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