Fact Check by BOOM: A viral screenshot circulating on social media shows a post from a parody account of US President-elect Donald Trump, '@thedonaldtrumph,' falsely claiming that Trump targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, calling him a 'Soros agent.'
The viral photo shows an X post by the handle '@thedonaldtrumph' quote tweeting Gandhi's post congratulating Trump after he won the United States presidential election on November 6. 2024.
Trump won the presidency for the second time and defeated incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris on November 6, 2024. The president-elect won 312 electoral college votes against Harris's 226 electoral college votes. 270 electoral college votes were required to win the US presidential election race. Several Indian leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gandhi had congratulated Trump on X after he won the presidency.
Screenshot falsely shared claiming Trump called Gandhi a 'Soros agent'
The caption of the X post reads, "Thank you Indian soros agent @RahulGandhi, but let’s be clear- someone who betrays their own country, aligning with anti-India elements like @georgesoros to undermine his homeland, cannot truly support America or my vision. Best to focus on your own affairs, Rahul."
A screenshot of the tweet is being shared on social media misattributing it to Trump.
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Who is George Soros?
The caption in the viral post references George Soros, a billionaire hedge fund manager and the founder of the Open Society Foundation, who is known for his global advocacy work. Soros has been a vocal critic of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In February 2023, Soros criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him "no democrat," and suggested that the Adani affair could lead to a "democratic revival" in India. Since then, the BJP has been targeting Soros and labelling Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as a "puppet" of Soros.
Donald Trump and his Republican party are also critical of Soros, as the billionaire has criticised them and has donated to their opponents - the Democratic Party.
FACT-CHECK: Screenshot of a Parody handle of Donald Trump
The team found that the X handle seen in the viral screenshot is a parody handle of Donald Trump that was trolling Rahul Gandhi by calling him a 'Soros agent'.
The X handle - 'Donald J. Trump Parody '@thedonaldtrumph' in the name itself mentions it is a parody handle. The bio of the handle can be seen below.
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Trump's official X handle
Additionally, Trump's official handle on X is '@realDonaldTrump'. A recent post by Trump on X can be seen below.
While Trump has previously criticised George Soros on X, however, he has not posted anything related to Rahul Gandhi as of now.
CLAIMS: Screenshot shows Donald Trump quote tweeting Rahul Gandhi and calling him a 'Soros agent' in response to Gandhi congratulating him on winning the US presidential elections
FACT CHECK: The account in the viral screenshot is a parody handle of Donald Trump. The official handle of the US President-elect is @realDonaldTrump, while the X handle in the photo is '@thedonaldtrumph'.
(Disclaimer: This story was originally published by BOOM, and republished by India TV as part of the Shakti Collective.)
