Delta Air Lines is under scrutiny after social media users claimed the airline removed an elderly man from a flight for wearing a “MAGA” hat, but that’s nothing but fake news.

Fact Check: Delta Did Not Remove Passenger For MAGA Hat, Despite Viral Claims

Viral posts across social media claimed that an elderly man was forcibly removed from a Delta flight because he wore a “Make America Great Again” hat, with a video showing the confrontation. But the evidence doesn’t support the extreme version of the claim. Instead, the man was not removed for the hat itself, which was red but said, “Build Back Better My Ass,” not “Make America Great Again.”

(“Build Back Better” was the name the Biden administration used for its policies to “rebuild the backbone of the country – the middle class.”)

What appears to have happened: the passenger was asked to deplane after refusing to remove his profane hat. Delta’s policies do allow the removal of passengers who create disruption or refuse to follow crew instructions. He wasn’t removed for the hat itself, but becuase he defied the captain’s order to take it off.

As the man complains about being removed for his hat, the captain says:

“Not because of your hat, it’s because you’re not complying with the instruction…

“I’m giving you the option, okay. Either you keep the hat off and you follow the instructions of the flight attendants, because in the case of an emergency. How do I know, based on this simple little issue, that you would follow their instructions in an emergency?”

What a despicable lie from the person who posted this video…

And the captain really went out of his way to explain that this was not politically motivated, even saying:

“I’m probably more ultra MAGA than you are.”

In today’s climate, stories about ideological targeting attract immediate attention and traction. A claim that someone was removed for a political symbol is emotionally powerful and primed for virality. Many users saw the images or video, assumed motive, and shared without waiting for confirmation….over four million times. The spreading narrative, combined with outrage over perceived bias, made it hard for skeptics to cut through.

But the story here is simple: a man was told to remove his hat, refused, and was rightfully thrown off becuase of it.

CONCLUSION

The viral claim that Delta booted a man just because of a MAGA hat doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. There is no evidence Delta ejected him solely over his headwear. Instead, we have a dotard who refused to remove his vulgar hat when asked. Before we express outrage, we should always dig deeper, especially in a polarized era where every incident is weaponized. Here, the controversy is the same as always: no profanity on your clothing and obey reasonable crewmember instructions.