Fact Check: Burger King’s “We Don’t Snitch” Tweet Ignites Viral Meme Frenzy Amid Luigi Mangione Arrest Drama
The arrest of Luigi Mangione from McDonald’s as a suspect in the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson case has led to a spate of memes, but what has intrigued netizens is a social media post by Burger King.
Burger King’s ‘We Don’t Snitch’ Tweet Real or Fake?
The post, which was shared on X, suggested that the outlet would not have involved the police in the incident.
The post read:
“We don’t snitch.”
Luigi Mangione shouldn’t have gone to McDonald’s. pic.twitter.com/vlGc2o2hVd
— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) December 9, 2024
The post was accompanied by a comment hinting that Luigi Mangione made a mistake by choosing McDonald’s, and it soon became viral, raking in 5.9 million views in a jiffy.
However, it was later revealed that it was a fake screenshot. The screenshot was created using an app called an online screenshot generator.
On closer examination, it was revealed that the font, date, and time in the image were not akin to the posts on X.
Also, words like “retweets” and “quote tweets” were used, which have never been used on X ever since Elon Musk acquired the platform. There was also no mention of the post on Burger King’s official X handle.
Fast food is not limited to burgers and fries, and the drama and rivalries between competitors cannot be better explained than the competition between McDonald’s and Burger King.
Both competitors are fierce rivals of one another, leaving no opportunity to gain some head start against the other. Therefore, when the post came to light, many believed it to be true, which could explain why it went viral.
Both Burger King and McDonald’s resort to mischievous ads and crafty digs to upend each other. One of the most memorable instances was when Burger King told customers to visit McDonald’s, only to tell them to download Burger King’s app for a deal. The ploy worked, and there were record downloads of Burger King’s app.
For the unversed, Luigi Mangione, the chief suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was arrested at a McDonald’s outlet in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
The 26-year-old suspect was identified by one of the outlet’s employees, who alerted the police. The suspect has now been charged with murder, possessing an illegal firearm, and falsifying documents.
