Fact Check: Did Barack Obama admit to running a secret X account to rage-bait people?
WASHINGTON, DC: A rumor has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that former President Barack Obama has admitted that he has a secret account on social media where he rage-baits people, sparking mixed reactions, with many criticising him, while a few others remain sceptical.
Let us analyse the origins of the claim and fact-check it.
Claim: Barack Obama has secret X account where he rage-baits people
According to the viral claim, the former president has admitted that he has a secret X (formerly Twitter) account where he rage-baits people.
The claim has spread on multiple social media platforms such as X, Facebook, and Threads, garnering hundreds of thousands of views, along with thousands of likes and shares.
The claim has garnered criticism against Obama, indicating that many believe the claim to be true, while a few others remain sceptical and have questioned the authenticity of the claim.
Fact Check: The claim originated as satire
The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence that the Democrat made such a claim. There are no credible reports by any prominent news media outlets about the claim, which, if true, would have been widely reported and discussed.
A search on Google for the claim revealed that the rumor originated from a popular satire account on X called Hoops Crave, which describes itself in the bio as ‘parody.’
The account has made several such claims for the sake of engagement, which have garnered millions of views.
A fact check by Grok confirmed this, stating, “No credible evidence, interview, statement, or news report supports this. Searches for the claim only point back to this viral joke post and people reacting to it humorously."
"The account @HoopsCrave explicitly describes itself as a parody account not affiliated with @PopCrave. These types of accounts regularly post exaggerated or fake celebrity/political "news" for engagement and laughs.”
Barack Obama jokes about White House standards
The claim likely surfaced after Obama recently turned a conversation with late-night host Stephen Colbert into a headline-grabbing political moment on Tuesday, joking that the White House no longer maintains the standard it once had.
During a wide-ranging interview in Chicago, Obama suggested Colbert could perform better than some people Americans have already seen in office, sparking immediate political speculation online.
