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| - A rumor that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump appointed former NBA star Karl Malone to be the head of Child Protective Services (CPS) is circulating online. For example, X account @TheNBACentel posted the following in November 2024:
Variations of the rumor spread on Reddit and Facebook, as well.
Some readers seemed to interpret the rumor as a factual recounting of real-life events. However, there was no evidence that Trump had announced he would appoint Malone head of CPS.
Rather, the rumor originated with @AIKnowsBall — an X account that describes its output as humorous and satirical in nature. Its bio states:
Follow for the most outta pocket NBA ai images | parody
@TheNBACentel is also well known in the online basketball community for its fictional parody and satire content.
The fictional story spread as Trump was announcing cabinet positions and other leadership roles in his government. Many online criticized some of Trump's choices, like U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, the top lawyer in the nation, on the basis that he was being investigated by the House of Representatives Ethics committee based on allegations he had sex with a minor. Malone faced a similar allegation — that he impregnated 13-year-old Gloria Bell in 1983 while in his second year at Louisiana Tech University. Malone settled a paternity lawsuit with Bell's family in 1988 or 1989, according to ESPN.
Snopes has addressed other claims about Trump's (real) choices for administrative positions, including the assertion that Tulsi Gabbard, his choice for director of national intelligence, was on a terrorism watchlist, and a rumor that Pete Hegseth, his choice for defense secretary, had Nazi tattoos.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.
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