Fact Check: Did Malia Obama say Barack and Michelle are not her parents?
WASHINGTON, DC: A rumor has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that Malia Obama has said that former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama are not her parents. The claim has sparked criticisms and speculations, with many questioning whether Malia really said it. Let us fact-check and analyse the viral claim.
Claim: Malia Obama said Barack Obama and Michelle are not her parents
A viral post on X claims that Malia Obama said her parents are not really her parents
A viral post on X claims that Malia Obama said her parents are not really her parents. The post, shared by an account called “Make Europe Great Again,” has gained over a million views.
It alleges that far-right content creator Nick Shirley got Malia to make this statement, and includes a quote attributed to him suggesting that Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are not her real parents.
"She had no idea who I was," Shirley said, according to the viral post. "After a few drinks and some small talk, she started confiding in me about how hard it was to grow up living a lie."
Fact Check: Malia Obama never made such statement
The claim, however, is false as there is no evidence to suggest that Malia Obama said anything as such.
A search on Google for the claim yielded no credible reports by any prominent media outlets on such a remark, which, if true, would have been widely covered.
There is also evidence that confirms that Nick Shirley has made social media posts or any comments about Malia Obama in his podcast.
Moreover, the image that accompanied the post has a watermark written, 'Nothing on this page is real.'
Obama and his family are frequently subjected to misinformation on social media, particularly from right-wing social media accounts, and this is the latest among such claims.
Barack Obama calls for unity despite unclear motives in White House shooting
The claim surfaced after Obama, on Sunday, April 26, claimed that "we don’t yet have the details about the motives" behind the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
This statement comes despite the recovery of a manifesto by the suspected gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, which explicitly detailed his intent to target members of the Trump administration.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the former president wrote, “Although we don’t yet have the details about the motives behind last night’s shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner, it’s incumbent upon all us to reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy.”
