Fact Check: Did Trump give $25 million from his anti-weaponization fund to Ghislaine Maxwell?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the revolt amongst Republicans over President Donald Trump’s $1.8B anti-weaponisation fund, a rumor began circulating on social media platforms claiming that Trump awarded $25 million to Ghislaine Maxwell from this fund, sparking criticisms and speculations. Let us analyze the origins of the viral rumor and fact-check its authenticity.
Claim: Donald Trump awarded Ghislaine Maxwell $25 million from 'anti-weaponization' fund
According to the viral claim, Trump has reportedly awarded Ghislaine Maxwell $25 million from his $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" slush fund.
The claim surfaced after a proposed $1.8 billion Justice Department fund intended to compensate those who claim they were targeted by a “weaponized” government triggered sharp backlash from Congressional Republicans this week.
The claim has triggered criticism against the president for financially aiding the convicted offender and former associate of Jeffrey Epstein, while a few others remained skeptical and questioned the claim’s authenticity.
Fact Check: False, the claim originated as a satire
However, the claim is false as there is no credible evidence that proves Trump awarded $25 million to Ghislaine Maxwell from his anti-weaponization slush fund.
A search on Google for the claim yielded no credible reports, as claimed by the post, which proves the rumors, which, if true, would have been widely covered, making headlines and triggering a massive backlash against Trump.
Moreover, the claim was posted by a parody account called ‘The Halfway Post,’ which describes itself as satire.
A fact check by Grok stated, “The X post from satirical account HalfwayPost fabricates a claim that Trump awarded Ghislaine Maxwell $25 million from the new DOJ Anti-Weaponization Fund, using exaggeration to highlight transparency issues with government spending.”
Republicans push back against 'anti-weaponization' fund proposal
Several Republican lawmakers publicly disagreed with the administration's proposal for the anti-weaponization fund, with some calling it inappropriate and urging for stricter oversight.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) stated that he and other lawmakers would "try to kill" the program, which introduced legislation with Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) aimed at stopping federal money from being used for claims submitted through the anti-weaponization fund.
This backlash led Senate Republicans to postpone action on a significant immigration and border enforcement package, which would have provided billions of dollars to ICE and Border Patrol operations.
