Latest news with #FLOTUS
The Journal
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Debunked: Meme image of Hillary Clinton calling Conor McGregor ‘future president' is a spoof
AN IMAGE OF a tweet that appears to depict Hillary Clinton calling Conor McGregor a future president has duped people into thinking it is real, despite being an edited image likely meant as a joke. The image is an alteration of an actual tweet , published by Clinton in 2016, in which she posted a photo of herself alongside the words 'Happy birthday to this future president.' The original tweet gained further traction after Clinton's defeat in the 2016 US presidential election the following month; it had not aged well. However, while the tweet may have been known to many American users in 2016, it is unlikely to be so familiar now to an Irish audience. Which is why it may have been confusing when, on 15 July, the day after McGregor's birthday, he shared on his social media a screenshot that showed a variation of 'Happy birthday to this future president' tweet by Clinton. The childhood image of her was replaced with a photo of McGregor as a young boy. 'Thank you @HillaryClinton,' McGregor wrote. It is unclear if McGregor believed it was a real image, or had shared it in jest. He had also replied on Instagram to a Happy Birthday post by a fan blogger with the account name 'OurLadyMelania' with the words 'Thank you FLOTUS', referring to the First Lady of the United States. Advertisement The post plays on McGregor's previous suggestions that he would run for president. However, it had seemed unlikely he would get the nominations needed to run, even before dramatic court hearings earlier this appeal against a civil finding that he was liable of the 2018 sexual assault of Dublin woman led to the Court of Appeal making a referral to the DPP about supposed fresh evidence that McGregor initially wanted to submit but dropped at the 11th hour. In either case, the 'Clinton post' appears to have fooled some people. 'Please tell me this not real?!' one Facebook user wrote. 'He definitely tweeted thank you Hilary,' another responded. Interestingly, many of the commenters who think Clinton's message to McGregor is real seem to imply that this reflects badly on McGregor. 'The woman behind Pizzagate crawling up another useful idiot's ass,' one user put it. (Pizzagate is the name of a baseless conspiracy theory that often featured Hillary Clinton as a villainous mastermind). 'So we know that he's definitely been compromised,' another user wrote. The image of McGregor was not the only part of Clinton's post that was altered. The date was changed to 15 July 2025. No such post was published on that date by Hillary Clinton's account on X (formerly Twitter). Want to be your own fact-checker? Visit our brand-new FactCheck Knowledge Bank for guides and toolkits The Journal's FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network's Code of Principles. You can read it here . For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader's Guide here . You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here . Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... It is vital that we surface facts from noise. Articles like this one brings you clarity, transparency and balance so you can make well-informed decisions. We set up FactCheck in 2016 to proactively expose false or misleading information, but to continue to deliver on this mission we need your support. Over 5,000 readers like you support us. If you can, please consider setting up a monthly payment or making a once-off donation to keep news free to everyone. Learn More Support The Journal
India Today
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Did secret agent Melania Trumpenko turn Trump against Putin?
Ukrainians have a new agent to thank, Agent Melania Trumpenko. The First Lady of the US has now entered memedom after US President Donald Trump said FLOTUS played a key role in his apparent shift in attitude towards Russia and its President Vladimir Putin. The "enko" suffix being attached to Melania is a common Ukrainian patronymic, often meaning "descendant of" or "son of".advertisementDuring a meeting at the White House on Monday with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said his wife had helped point out Putin's duplicity."My conversations with him [Putin] are always very pleasant. I say, isn't that a very lovely conversation? And then the missiles go off that night," Trump said. "I go home, I tell the first lady: I spoke with Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation. She said: Really? Another city was just hit."Slovenian-born Melania Trump, who grew up in the former Yugoslavia, has long appeared more supportive of Ukraine than her husband, who in February this year even called Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator".Yugoslovia, including Slovenia, broke away from the Soviet Union in 1948. Slovenia attained independence from Yugoslavia in after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Melania urged her social media followers to donate to the Red Cross, calling it "heartbreaking and horrific to see innocent people suffering".Following Trump's latest remarks on July 14, social media users responded quickly, and humorously, by thanking the First Lady for her apparent CHEER 'AGENT MELANIA TRUMPENKO' ON SOCIAL MEDIAOne person posted a photo of "Agent Melania Trumpenko" wearing a blazer with a Ukrainian trident insignia, the same outfit she wore during Trump's oath ceremony, but edited with the Ukrainian face is half-shaded by a large hat, giving the impression of an undercover operative stationed in the White House, subtly working in Ukraine's favour.A Ukrainian magazine, Business, reported that "there is a lot of love on social media tonight for Melania Trump" after the US announced it would send Patriot air defence systems to quickly picked up on the "agent" joke after Trump mentioned her role."Melania's Yugoslav secret agent training kicking in," wrote one user."Anyone thinks it's a coincidence that Melania Trump is from an ex-Soviet Union country Slovenia? A Russian hand-picked for Agent Krasnov aka Trump," said another."Our Man Melan. Ukrainians have praised 'undercover agent' Melan Trumpinski,' read another tongue-in-cheek not everyone was amused."You are lying animals. The Ukrainian propaganda machine, fully controlled by Zelensky's Office, has completely degraded. Yesterday, Trump was your 'Kremlin agent,' 'Krasnov's puppet,' a 'threat to democracy.' Today, he's your hero because he sent weapons. And Melania in a vyshyvanka for your PR show. This isn't just pathetic, it's disgusting, humiliating, and hypocritical. Shame on you," one user responded angrily.- EndsMust Watch
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump arrives in Texas to survey flood damage
US President Donald Trump has arrived in Texas to survey the damage caused by flash flooding and to meet with local officials, first responders and relatives of some of the 120 people killed in the July 4 disaster. His visit comes at the end of a week of mounting questions about the government response to the deadly deluge and hopes of finding any more survivors nearly extinguished. Search teams have combed through muddy debris littering parts of the Texas Hill Country, looking for the dozens still listed as missing, but no survivors have been found since the day of flooding. Last Friday, torrential rains sent a wall of water raging down the Guadalupe River in the pre-dawn hours of the US Independence Day holiday. .@POTUS and @FLOTUS thank local firefighters for their heroic efforts during the catastrophic flooding — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 11, 2025 The disaster is the deadliest of the Republican president's nearly six-month term in office. As sun poked through dark clouds on Friday, search crews in hard hats painstakingly walked inch-by-inch along the ruined banks of the river, marking damage and looking through wreckage. "It's a horrible thing," Trump told reporters as he departed the White House with First Lady Melania Trump. "Nobody can even believe it, such a thing - that much water that fast." Air Force One touched down at Kelly Field air base in San Antonio at about noon. Trump travelled by helicopter to Kerrville, the epicentre of the flooding in south-central Texas, where he spoke with relatives of the victims and emergency responders, according to a White House official. He was set to listen to a briefing from local officials and tour sites in Kerr County. The county is located in what is known as "flash flood alley," a region that has been the scene of some of the deadliest floods in the United States. More than 30cm of rain fell in less than an hour on July 4. Flood gauges showed the river's height rose from about 30cm to 10.4 metres in a matter of hours, cascading over its banks and sweeping away trees and structures in its path. Kerr County officials say more than 160 people remain unaccounted for, although experts say that the number of people reported missing after disasters is often inflated. The dead include at least 36 children, many of whom were campers at the nearly century-old Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer retreat on the banks of the river. Local and federal officials have faced scrutiny for their response, including questions about whether they could have done more to warn people of the rising floodwaters. Before the most recent flooding, the county declined to install an early-warning system after failing to secure state money to cover the cost. In an interview with NBC on Thursday ahead of the trip, Trump appeared to support any fresh initiative to install such alarms. "After having seen this horrible event, I would imagine you'd put alarms up in some form," Trump said. The Texas state legislature will convene in a special session later this month to investigate the flooding and provide disaster relief funding. The US Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, on Monday asked a government watchdog to investigate whether cuts at the National Weather Service affected the forecasting agency's response. The NWS has defended its forecasting and emergency management, noting it assigned extra forecasters to two Texas offices over the holiday weekend. Trump's administration has said the agency was sufficiently staffed and responded adequately. On NBC, Trump described the flooding as a "once-in-every-200-year event".
NDTV
06-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Melania Trump Faces Criticism For Social Media Post On Texas Floods
United States First Lady Melania Trump has been facing criticism for her post on the devastating flood in Texas that killed at least 67, including 21 children, with the search and rescue operation for girls missing from a summer camp entering a third day. My heart goes out to the parents in Texas during this difficult time. I am holding you in my thoughts and sending prayers for strength, comfort, and resilience. — First Lady Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) July 5, 2025 Also Read | Trump's MAGA Ally Laura Loomer Predicts These 3 Americans Will Join Musk's New Party "My heart goes out to the parents in Texas during this difficult time. I am holding you in my thoughts and sending prayers for strength, comfort, and resilience," Melania said in the post on X on Saturday. Many users criticised Melania's post for being inadequate, given the severity of the situation. Some pointed out that the Trump administration had previously cut funding for disaster response and forecasting, which may have contributed to the tragedy. Several critics highlighted that the Trump administration had impacted critical disaster response and forecasting budgets, which could have saved lives. Previously, at least five former National Weather Service directors had warned that such cuts would lead to fatalities. Joaquin Castro, a Democratic congressman from Texas, told CNN that fewer personnel at the weather service could be dangerous. "When you have flash flooding, there's a risk that if you don't have the personnel... to do that analysis, do the predictions in the best way, it could lead to tragedy," Castro said. Social media users expressed their disappointment and frustration with Melania's response, with some asking her to apologise for the administration's role in the tragedy. One user wrote, "They've already seen the vids of you dancing on the balcony while their children were dying." "Prayers don't rebuild homes. Empathy doesn't restore what your husband stripped away. While Texas suffers, you offer thoughts-after your government cut disaster aid and silenced response teams. We see through the performance. Vanta never forgets," another user wrote. "Your heart goes out but where were your voices when policies tore families apart? Thoughts and prayers don't fix systems Action does," a third user wrote. Texas floods The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was activated on Sunday. They have been deploying resources to first responders in Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. United States Coast Guard helicopters and planes are helping the search and rescue efforts, DHS said.
Vogue
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Melania Trump's Fourth of July Look Features a Very Melania Detail
Melania Trump's second term as First Lady of the United States has seen her not just return to, but augment the FLOTUS aesthetic she conceived during President Trump's first time around. Her styling has doubled down on homegrown American designs, whereas her first term as FLOTUS focused on her favorite European designers. The severe, elegant silhouettes, however, remain. But there are also new-found moments of softness, and if anything, quieter details of luxury—something that speaks to some level of awareness during these times of political and social tumult propelled by the Trump administration, when her fashion becomes more pared back. But it's the Fourth of July weekend, and the Trumps must celebrate maximally. On July 4 2025, Donald and Melania hosted an Independence Day picnic for the military and their families, after Trump signed his 'big, beautiful' bill into law there and then that included significant tax cuts, more defence spending, and a focus on stemming immigration. Melania opted for a cotton poplin a-line white shirt dress by Thom Browne, the signature red, white, and blue stripes sitting on the hips. (Browne is one of few designers to speak positively about dressing Melania Trump). She wore the collar unbuttoned to create some sense of relax and lightness. In what feels more distinctly the First Lady, she added a pair of red and white snake print Manolo Blahnik pumps for a pop of appropriate color—the Manolo Blahnik BB pumps are a go-to for Trump. Her highlighted hair was worn loose in a middle part, and she sported a nude manicure.
