Social media in 2025 was completely swamped with fakes. AI instruments have made it straightforward for anybody to make faux pictures and movies that may idiot many individuals into pondering they’re actual. The tech has now superior sufficiently that you simply shouldn’t essentially really feel dangerous if you happen to fall for one which pops up in your feed. OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Nano Banana Professional are each getting excellent.
However you don’t want AI to trick unsuspecting lots of individuals on websites like Instagram, Threads, Fb, and X. Generally, you are able to do the identical with good, old style Photoshop strategies. And we noticed loads of that with faux tweets that went viral over the previous 12 months.
Did you see that tweet in regards to the botched surgical procedure on Elon Musk’s penis? There have been a number of tweets, really, however they had been all faux. Similar with the tweets about President Trump claiming the World Sequence was rigged and one other about far-right influencer Andrew Tate calling any man with a girlfriend “homosexual.”
Beneath we’ve acquired a few of the viral tweets (or Truths, as they’re referred to as on Reality Social) that caught our consideration over the previous 12 months. And none of them are actual.
1) Rob Reiner by no means tweeted ‘fuck all of you MAGA assholes’
Comedy legend Rob Reiner and his spouse, Michele Singer Reiner, had been murdered final weekend of their Los Angeles residence, prompting an outpouring of grief and tributes to the director’s unimaginable physique of labor. However followers of President Donald Trump took the chance to unfold a tweet that appeared to return from Reiner calling Trump supporters “assholes.” The tweet is faux.
“Till Trump goes to jail I’ll not be posting on Twitter. I’ve had it with the insults and put downs. Fuck all of you MAGA assholes,” the faux tweet reads.
The picture, purporting to point out a screenshot from 2023, unfold far and huge on social media and was usually utilized by Trump followers to assault anybody who was mourning the beloved director. Reiner, a longtime supporter of the Democratic Get together, deleted his X account someday across the 2024 presidential election, however the AFP notes that he addressed the faux tweet in January 2023 after it had gone viral for the primary time.
“This isn’t my account,” Reiner tweeted Jan. 23, 2023, in a put up that was archived.
The faux put up appears to be like prefer it was in all probability modified from an genuine Reiner tweet that read: “Till Trump is Indicted for main a Lethal Rebellion to Overthrow the US Authorities, our Democracy won’t be restored.”
President Trump attacked Reiner in an unhinged screed the day after the director was discovered lifeless, calling him “tortured and struggling, however as soon as very proficient.” The president even made the killing about himself, claiming with no proof that Reiner was murdered “because of the anger he triggered others” by being anti-Trump.
Trump followers clearly took that as a sign to besmirch Reiner’s reminiscence, and the faux tweet unfold extensively as a justification to assault the director. Reiner’s 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested and charged with homicide.
2) Joe Rogan fell for a faux tweet in regards to the No Kings protests
Joe Rogan is America’s hottest podcaster, averaging about 20 million listeners per week. However Rogan persistently falls for faux photos and movies on-line, even after they’ve been extensively debunked. The most recent instance? Rogan fell for one more faux tweet on Wednesday that was supposedly from President Donald Trump.
In an episode from October, Rogan had friends Francis Foster and Konstantin Kisin, each conservative British political commentators, and the three males talked in regards to the No Kings protests that occurred Oct. 18. The demonstrations noticed hundreds of thousands of individuals take to the streets in opposition to Trump, and Rogan tried to belittle the efforts, insisting that folks had been being paid to be there and those that weren’t being paid had been simply “geriatrics.”
Rogan additionally claimed that if the protests had been being allowed to occur in any respect, that should be proof that Trump couldn’t probably be a king. And that’s when he promoted the faux tweet he noticed—a put up made to appear like it was from the president on Reality Social.
“No, he didn’t ship the troops to cease the protests,” mentioned Rogan. “The truth is, he congratulated them on doing an awesome job, and he mentioned I’m nonetheless your president. Tweet’s fucking hilarious. It’s very humorous.” One among Rogan’s friends chimed in to say, “yeah, I noticed that,” with amusing.
Rogan advised his producer to drag up the tweet, although it appeared clear he was having hassle monitoring it down. “Attempt Reality Social,” Rogan advised his producer, who was simply off-screen. “You’ll be able to in all probability discover a picture of it because it was posted in all places.”
The faux tweet Rogan gave the impression to be speaking about reads, “A HUGE THANK YOU to all of the ‘No Kings’ protesters yesterday! I used to be very involved a king was attempting to take my place, however due to your tireless efforts, I’m STILL YOUR PRESIDENT! Nice job all!!!” However there’s nothing about it that’s actual.
The producer by no means did appear to seek out the put up, in all probability as a result of he didn’t wish to inform Rogan it was faux. It wasn’t even a latest faux tweet. It first began circulating across the first No Kings Day on June 14. The screenshot went viral again in June on platforms like X and Instagram. Because the Daily Beast notes, the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., shared the faux tweet however acknowledged it was faux. Fox Enterprise host Maria Bartiromo shared the faux put up in June as effectively, although she didn’t understand it wasn’t real.
Rogan droned on and on in regards to the protests throughout his present and claimed they had been equivalent to what occurred with Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential marketing campaign. The podcast host insisted that the Harris marketing campaign “crammed up stadiums” with individuals who had been paid to be there, a declare with no foundation in actual fact. Rogan mentioned that it “grew to become a job” for the individuals at Harris rallies and that “shouldn’t be authorized” as a result of it’s “deception.”
Extremely, Trump’s precise commentary on the No Kings protests is one way or the other extra aggressive than the faux model Rogan highlighted on Wednesday. In actuality, Trump shared an AI video on Reality Social displaying himself flying a fighter jet and dumping literal shit on protesters.
Rogan will not be a very vivid man. However, once more, he has an unlimited viewers within the hundreds of thousands. And he’s at all times falling for faux shit, whether or not it’s AI movies of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz or tweets about “Jewish tunnels,” sourced to faux accounts with characters like Dick Stroker.
3) Charlie Kirk by no means tweeted about scratching his anus
There was a tweet that went viral again in July, earlier than Charlie Kirk’s killing in September, that appeared to point out the MAGA influencer criticizing New York Metropolis mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for consuming along with his fingers.
“I’ve so many ideas on this that it actually retains me up at night time, Zohran Mamdani consuming rice along with his HANDS throughout an interview,” the tweet learn. “I very sincerely doubt he has to scratch his anus any lower than the remainder of us which makes that complete show unbelievably disgusting.”
The picture appeared on websites like Reddit, X, and Bluesky, and it appeared believable sufficient. Proper-winger customers on X hurled racist feedback at Mamdani about it. Even elected Republicans acquired in on the act, with Rep. Brandon Gill, a Republican from Texas, writing, “Civilized individuals in America don’t eat like this. When you refuse to undertake Western customs, return to the Third World.”
The tweet that appeared prefer it was from Kirk was plausible, although it appeared prefer it was by chance admitting that Kirk actually dug in to scratch his anus. However this one was faux.
Kirk’s actual commentary on the difficulty largely centered round the concept that Mamdani didn’t really wish to eat rice along with his fingers. The late commentator instructed it was really all for show: “It’s a calculated stunt, similar to him continually altering his accent. Truthfully, that’s quite a bit worse and extra disturbing than if he simply authentically ate that method. One is backwards. The opposite reveals his contempt for our tradition.”
One other tweet in the identical fashion additionally unfold, showing to point out Kirk doubling down on the concept that he often is digging into his asshole: “To all of the individuals making enjoyable of me for scratching my itchy asshole… hold coping! That is one thing that occurs to all people and that’s why it’s disgusting to eat together with your fingers like Zohran Mamdani.”
The picture was made to appear like it had been deleted, though X doesn’t present that discover for lately deleted tweet anymore. That tweet was additionally faux.
Mamdani has since gained his election and shall be sworn in because the mayor of New York subsequent month.
4) Elon Musk didn’t tweet about his ‘botched penis’
Again in April, all anybody may speak about was President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The president had dubbed April 2 “Liberation Day,” and he introduced a large swath of tariffs on each nation throughout the globe.
The subsequent day, a tweet that appeared to have been despatched by Elon Musk began spreading on social media. The tweet learn, “I desire a 90% tariff on Canada as a result of Grimes advised everybody about my botched penis.” Grimes is the mom of two of Musk’s many youngsters, and he or she was born in Canada.
Nonetheless, the tweet is faux.
The tweet seems to have been created by an account on X referred to as @marionumber4, which additionally has the identify 679 Fanatic. The pseudonymous account has an extended historical past of making faux “deleted” tweets of right-wing figures like Musk, Candace Owens, and Grimes. And this one isn’t any completely different.
That very same creator made a number of faux “botched penis” tweets about Elon Musk in 2025, together with one made to appear like it got here from Ashley St. Clair however had been deleted. St. Clair has a baby whom she says was fathered by Musk.
The faux tweet that seems to have been from St. Clair reads “the fucked up botched penis is actual.”
By placing the phrases “this put up was deleted” on the backside of the faux tweet, it alerts to the reader that any try to seek out the tweet on the particular person’s timeline goes to be a futile effort. And that seems to be a part of the attraction for hoaxsters who create these varieties of faux viral tweets, as we noticed with the Charlie Kirk tweet. However accounts like @marionumber4 have been doing this for thus lengthy, it’s straightforward to verify with the same old photoshopping suspects each time considered one of these is circulating on-line. The particular person behind that account has previously confirmed to Gizmodo that they make these faux tweets.
Because the faux tweet will get shared outdoors of the unique creator’s circles, it circulates with individuals questioning if it’s actual. And X customers now have the flexibility to ask Grok in regards to the veracity of varied tweets like a real-time AI fact-checker. That’s what individuals did within the replies to numerous tweets in regards to the supposed botched penis surgical procedure. One consumer requested Grok, “Is that this actual,” they usually acquired an interesting reply.
“Ashley St. Clair seemingly broke an NDA by posting about Elon Musk’s ‘botched penis,’ given their relationship and typical NDA use,” Grok responded. “She could face monetary fallout, as seen in custody and help disputes, however the declare of a selected penalty for penis comparisons is probably going exaggerated, not commonplace in NDAs.”
The reference to an NDA seems to have been a joke by the X account UAE Unique Falconry and Finance. However Grok’s fixation on some form of non-disclosure settlement appears to be like like a product of the main query reasonably than one thing that really exists. Neither Musk nor St. Clair seems to have mentioned an NDA about their relationship, and it’s not publicly identified if one really exists.
That ambiguity speaks to one of many main flaws in know-how with generative AI. When you feed it sufficient rubbish, you’re simply going to get rubbish again. And X is nothing if not a flaming rubbish dump in 2025. Musk purchased the platform in late 2022 and did every part he may to scare off regular individuals along with his far-right ideology. Fringe figures who had beforehand been banned on Twitter, like white supremacist Nick Fuentes and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, had been welcomed again with open arms. And that’s made X a multitude of misinformation and extremist exercise.
5) The faux Epstein tweet that went viral earlier than the equivalent actual ones
There have been some reasonably unbelievable developments within the information about Jeffrey Epstein in 2025. We lastly noticed some surveillance digicam footage from the jail the place Epstein died, even when all of it appeared extremely irregular. And a small group of elected politicians got here collectively to drive a vote on getting authorities recordsdata about Epstein launched. These are due out Dec. 16, although it stays to be seen what number of redactions the Division of Justice would possibly make.
President Donald Trump has been on the heart of the controversy, contemplating the truth that he was president when Epstein died in a federal jail, and many individuals don’t imagine Epstein really killed himself. Trump was reportedly finest mates with Epstein for a minimum of 15 years, and the Wall Avenue Journal even obtained a letter that Trump wrote to Epstein for his birthday, which included a drawing of a unadorned feminine determine.
Trump has been extremely defensive in regards to the launch of the Epstein recordsdata. However that defensiveness has made the subject a frequent topic for individuals joking on the web. Like within the case of this tweet, which was widespread on Instagram, X, and Fb over the summer season. However it’s not actual.
The humorous factor about this faux tweet is that it’s extraordinarily near issues Trump would really write on social media in regards to the case. This faux tweet went viral on July 12, and fewer than per week later, he wrote on Truth Social: “Their new SCAM is what we’ll ceaselessly name the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have purchased into this ‘bullshit,’ hook, line, and sinker.’”
Trump has repeatedly referred to as the Epstein story a hoax, and he was reportedly pressuring elected politicians to not vote for releasing the Epstein recordsdata, even calling them instantly. Marjorie Taylor Greene, considered one of Trump’s most loyal supporters, even had a falling out with the president over the difficulty, and he or she’s retiring early as a result of he turned his again on her.
Generally faux tweets go viral earlier than they seize a sentiment that already exists. Trump by no means tweeted “STOP TALKING ABOUT EPSTEIN!!!!” however he could as effectively have.
6) Andrew Tate didn’t say a person with a girlfriend was “homosexual”
Andrew Tate, the far-right manosphere influencer, repeatedly tweets essentially the most weird bullshit round. However if you happen to noticed a tweet that having a girlfriend in 2025 made you homosexual, that one was faux.
The faux tweet was picked up by retailers like Pink Information and Australia’s Star Observer, however there’s no proof it was actual. Gizmodo checked Tate’s X feed shortly after the tweet began to go viral on social media, and it wasn’t there.
Oddly sufficient, the sentiment of this faux tweet is definitely one thing Tate has posted many instances. Again in July, Tate tweeted, “I don’t desire a relationship, I don’t wanna discuss lady shit, I don’t wanna put up along with her moods, I’m not homosexual.”
Very like viral fakes that includes Trump, the actual factor is commonly simply as absurd.
7) Ian Miles Cheong didn’t tweet ‘get out of my nation’ to Mamdani
Ian Miles Cheong is a kind of Elon Musk followers that you simply’ll come throughout often if you happen to spend time on X. Cheong, who’s initially from Malaysia however lives in Dubai, has constructed a reputation for himself whining about wokeness and pushing a right-wing worldview lengthy earlier than Twitter grew to become X.
However Cheong’s prominence and customarily annoying presence have made him the goal of photoshoppers. And though Cheong has beforehand interjected into U.S. political debate like he really lives within the nation, one tweet particularly acquired a number of pick-up this 12 months.
“I refuse to be ruled by a Ugandan named Zohran Kwame Mamdani. Get out of my nation,” the faux tweet reads.
The put up, as you’ll discover, options the “this put up has been deleted” textual content on the backside. However it’s one other one created by pranksters, made to appear like it was deleted.
Cheong usually writes about U.S. politics. However he’s by no means claimed to really be an American.
8) Trump didn’t tweet in regards to the World Sequence being rigged
Again in October, a tweet that appeared to return from President Donald Trump mentioned he’d refuse to ask whoever wins the World Sequence to the White Home. The put up mentioned it was as a result of he believed the sport was rigged, both by the mafia or the Democrats. However the tweet isn’t actual.
The put up was made to appear like it was coming from President Trump’s official Reality Social account, the platform he owns and the primary place the place he posts all his most unhinged messages.
“NO MATTER WHO WINS I WILL REFUSE TO INVITE EITHER BASEBALL TEAM TO MY BALL ROOM AS THEY ARE BOTH RUN BY HIGHLY INEPT OFFICIALS FROM CALIFORNIA AND ONTARIO CANADA,” the faux tweet reads.
“I DON’T HOST LOSERS. WE ARE ACTIVELY INVESTIGATING MLB. THIS WORLD SERIES IS RIGGED, PROBABLY BY THE DEMS & THE MAFIA,” the faux tweet continues.
The screenshot unfold far and huge, displaying up on Threads, X, Bluesky, Instagram, and Fb. However Trump by no means wrote this one.
The response to the viral put up was about what you’d anticipate, particularly amongst followers of the Toronto Blue Jays. Many Canadians made enjoyable of the faux Trump tweet, since they didn’t suppose a Canadian group would even be invited to the White Home within the first place.
There have been many pink flags within the faux put up from Trump, however the reference to the ballroom is perhaps some of the evident. The president demolished the East Wing of the White Home, and he’s constructing a ballroom with “donations” from personal firms and people who’ve given him millions. However even on essentially the most formidable timeline, the ballroom gained’t be accomplished by the point a White Home go to by the 2025 World Sequence champions would possibly happen.
Trump hasn’t introduced a completion date for his ridiculous monstrosity, however the administration has mentioned will probably be achieved earlier than his second time period is up in Jan. 2029.
9) Trump didn’t name the Toronto Blue Jays un-American
One other faux put up that was popping up right here and there on social media particularly referred to as out the Blue Jays.
“WE WILL BE INVESTIGATING THE UN AMERICAN BLUE JAYS WHO ARE ATTEMPTING TO STEAL OUR BELOVED WORLD SERIES,” the faux tweet reads. “THEY WILL DEFINITELY NOT BE INVITED TO THE WHITE HOUSE.”
On the finish of the day, all of those faux tweets go viral as a result of it’s unimaginable to inform which screeds from President Trump are genuine. Trump has at all times been off his rocker, however he’s gotten more and more bizarre throughout his second time period, posting a few of the oddest issues {that a} president has ever expressed in public.
As only one instance, Trump posted an AI video of himself final month speaking about “medbeds,” a weird conspiracy theory that claims there are actual beds being hidden from the general public that may heal all ailments. The video even features a faux Trump touting these miracle cures and insisting they had been going to be out there quickly to “restore each citizen to full well being.”
In a world the place the president is posting about medbeds—to say nothing of the Division of Homeland Safety posting Nazi propaganda—it may be extraordinarily tough to inform what’s actual. And that’s not going to vary so long as the Trump regime stays in energy. The truth is, it’s more likely to get a lot, a lot worse.
10) Trump didn’t announce 15-year automotive loans
An announcement from the White Home went viral this 12 months, claiming that President Donald Trump is engaged on making 15-year automotive loans out there to all Individuals. The announcement is faux. However it’s a joke based mostly on one thing very actual.
“As he continues to work arduous to make the American Dream accessible to everybody, President Trump right now has requested the Departments of Transportation and Commerce to make automobile possession for all a actuality by introducing 15 12 months automotive loans! Secretaries Duffy and Lutnick are already engaged on it!
Delivering for America!” the viral screenshot reads.
Whereas the announcement has been circulating extensively on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok, it’s not actual.
The place did this announcement really come from? It seems to have originated with a satire account on X referred to as TheRealThelmaJohnson. The tweet included a joke, together with the photoshopped announcement, that reads: “If you wish to pay 100 grand for a 2009 Chevy Equinox that is the best way…”
If you wish to pay 100 grand for a 2009 Chevy Equinox that is the best way… pic.twitter.com/ZfQBKgJs8e
— TheRealThelmaJohnson (@TheRealThelmaJ1) November 9, 2025
And that joke will get near what’s humorous a couple of 15-year automotive mortgage. The longer the automotive mortgage, the extra the borrower is in the end paying for the automotive, due to curiosity funds. The unique tweet from “Thelma Johnson” solely has about 150,000 views, a really humble quantity for one thing that’s gone “viral.” That’s as a result of it has been extensively shared on different platforms (together with X, although with out attribution to the unique creator) and folks suppose it’s actual.
The rationale many individuals suppose it’s actual is that President Trump really proposed one thing simply as ridiculous as a 15-year automotive mortgage lately. On Nov. 8, Trump posted a graphic to Truth Social evaluating himself to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who helped popularize the 30-year mortgage through the Nineteen Thirties. The graphic reveals a photograph of Trump with the phrases “50-year mortgage” beneath with out additional clarification.
Politico experiences that the graphic really got here from a person named Invoice Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Company. Pulte reportedly visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago with a 3×5 posterboard in hand. Roughly 10 minutes later, the graphic was posted to Trump’s Reality Social account, in line with Politico. That apparently angered Trump’s aides, with Politico characterizing it as “dangerous politics and dangerous coverage.”
The concept of the 30-year mortgage was that it allowed individuals to reside in and “personal” their properties, even when it took a good portion of somebody’s life to pay it off. On the finish of the mortgage, the particular person would a minimum of have possession of a property, even when they paid far more than it was value in the long run. The concept of the 50-year mortgage takes this to the acute, particularly with the median age of first-time residence patrons within the U.S. currently at 40. And the one individuals who can be taking out 50-year mortgages can be the individuals in essentially the most precarious monetary positions, which suggests they’d be most certainly to default. Even when a borrower made good on their mortgage settlement, the prospect of them ever really proudly owning the property can be slim.
Trump was requested by Laura Ingraham on Fox Information in regards to the proposal, and he didn’t again down from the concept. “All it means is you pay much less per 30 days,” Trump mentioned. “Pay it over an extended time period. It’s not like an enormous issue. It would assist a bit bit.”
And all of this ridiculousness brings us to the concept of the 15-year automotive mortgage. It’s a joke, however loads of high-profile X accounts appeared to suppose it was actual, together with Unusual Whales and Polymarket. When one account racked up 1 million views and confronted skepticism from different customers, she linked to a tweet from AF Submit that she instructed was some proof the White Home was contemplating it.
In actuality, AF Submit (America First Submit) isn’t an actual, credible information outlet. It’s affiliated with white supremacist Nick Fuentes, and it posts faux rubbish on a regular basis. However AF Submit has a blue checkmark, which anybody can purchase for $8 from Elon Musk, and a few individuals are underneath the phantasm that it nonetheless carries some weight of “verification.”
The “Thelma Johnson” account usually shares faux White Home bulletins, so the subsequent time you see one thing like that, which sounds too good to be true, perhaps verify that particular account to see in the event that they had been the primary one to put up it. That’s what we do right here at Gizmodo each time we see a ridiculous tweet that reads “this put up has been deleted.” There’s one specific prankster who likes to do this one, and we at all times verify their account when one thing comparable goes viral.
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