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| - The concept of red states refers to those that, by majority, backed Republican Party nominee and President-elect Donald Trump, while blue states are those that mostly voted for Democratic Party nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.
A rumor that Target announced plans to close stores in red U.S. states and relocate to blue states only circulated online following the 2024 presidential election. The concept of red states refers to those that, by majority, backed Republican Party nominee and President-elect Donald Trump, while blue states are those that mostly voted for Democratic Party nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris.
An example of the claim appeared on Facebook, where one page wrote (archived): "WOKE Target to Close Stores in Red States and Relocate to Blue States Only, 'Sticking To Areas Where We Feel Safe.'" Numerous other Facebook users also shared the same text on the platform.
Meanwhile, on X, some users posted the rumor with a link to an article on esspots.com. That article displayed the same text as a headline: "WOKE Target to Close Stores in Red States and Relocate to Blue States Only, 'Sticking To Areas Where We Feel Safe.'"
Some social media users seemed to interpret the rumor as a factual recounting of real-life events. For example, Facebook users said in comments: "They should relocate all stores to California," and "They will regret it later." Another user said: "I'm glad I saw this. Was planning to go to Target only for convenience sake. Guess I'll be headed somewhere else. Bye bye."
However, there was no evidence of the retailer closing any stores for political reasons.
Rather, while the above-mentioned social media posts did not make it clear, the rumor about Target originated with the SpaceXMania network of parody and satire sites.
For example, on Nov. 11, the SpaceX Fanclub Facebook page — an account associated with both SpaceXMania and esspots.com — posted (archived) a meme showing a Target store and a map image of Trump's county wins in the 2024 election. The post included a satire disclaimer, and the bio for the Facebook page read: "We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real."
Similar posts appeared on other Facebook pages affiliated with SpaceXMania, such as The Patriots Lovers and We Are Patriots. Users managing those pages, which also have labels notifying readers of the satirical nature of their content, used an alternative caption: "Target Says Goodbye to Red States, Plans 'Inclusive' Blue State Expansion."
Snopes has addressed similar satirical claims following the 2024 election, including fictional stories about Beyoncé and Taylor Swift announcing boycotts of states where the majority of voters picked Trump.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.
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