Fact Check: Did Trump praise North Korea's hereditary rule and back his sons for presidency?
WASHINGTON, DC: A post has been going viral on social media platforms claiming that President Donald Trump praised North Korea’s hereditary rule and floated the idea of his sons ruling the United States for generations. The claim has drawn mockery and speculation, with many questioning the claim and calling for verification.
Claim: Donald Trump admires North Korea's hereditary rule
The claim surfaced as a screenshot claiming to show a post by the president on his official Truth Social account. The alleged post states, “One thing I admire about North Korea is how they hand down power from father to son to grandson."
"After I end elections in 2028, I look forward to Don Jr. and Barron running the United States for generations to come.”
The screenshot has spread across multiple social media platforms including X, Facebook, Instagram and Threads, collectively garnering hundreds of thousands of views.
While many believe the screenshot to be real, a few others dismissed it as fake and called for a fact-check.
Fact Check: Donald Trump made no such post
The screenshot, however, is fake and fabricated, as Trump has not made such a post on any of his social media accounts.
A search on his Truth Social account and other commentary accounts that automatically archive his posts on the platform returned no results matching the text in the viral screenshot.
An additional search on Google to ascertain if he made the remark yielded no credible news media reports, which, if true, would have been covered widely, triggering widespread debates and criticisms.
A fact check by Grok AI stated, “No, it is not a real post by Trump. The screenshot is a fabricated meme. No such statement appears on his accounts or in any verified records.”
Donald Trump claims North Korea has 57 nuclear weapons
The claim surfaced after Trump on Wednesday said that he plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again, while putting a precise figure on Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal.
Trump disclosed that North Korea possesses "57 very powerful nuclear weapons," adding that the arsenal "shouldn't have been allowed to happen," while the hermit nation has never publicly disclosed the precise size of its nuclear stockpile.
The remark came as the president moved to reduce US-South Korean military exercises, citing his “very good relationship” with Kim and describing North Korea as “unthreatening and respectful.”
