In mid-July 2020 a link circulated on social media, appearing to be an article reporting that Ivanka Trump had accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of trying to make her father, United States President Donald Trump, “look incompetent”:
Clicking through to the link led to a bizarre article dated July 13 2020. It began:
Ivanka Trump has always been a daddy’s girl. Whether it’s showing her father the latest styles in flimsy lingerie, string bikinis, or rubbing his back and cooing like a sexy kitten, this blonde bombshell has been supportive of her ‘Pops.’ Now she’s unloading both barrels on Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“Fauci is a fraud,” the first daughter told The Lint Screen. “Instead of trying to help the president help Americans, Fauci is sabotaging everything and trying to make my father look incompetent.”
The ravishing vixen details the many betrayals Fauci has perpetrated.
“When Daddy first got into office, Fauci told him to get rid of the pandemic preparedness group,” she said. “Pops wanted to keep the group–– and even wanted to give it more resources, but Fauci said it was a waste of money. ‘Pandemics are very rare, Mr. President,’ he told him. So, my father did what Fauci said and eliminated all the people and plans put in place for pandemics.”
The foxy lady puts on a fresh coat of lip gloss, puckers, and continues.
“Then the coronavirus came and Fauci told Dad there was no need for masks. He said there’s only a couple of cases in the U.S. and it’s not going to be a big deal,” Ivanka shakes her head. “Fauci also told Daddy, ‘Don’t wear a mask, they’re very uncomfortable and look stupid.’”
The article likely went viral based on its headline and not the content of the linked post. Its second-to-last paragraph read:
Ivanka Trump walks from behind the wardrobe screen dressed in a mini-cut Catholic schoolgirl uniform with a push-up bra and tight white blouse. She struts in her four-inch stilettos and announces, “Sorry, but this interview’s over. I have to go model this outfit for Daddy. Fashion shows are a traditional father-daughter activity for us. He loves it when I sit in his lap at the end of my show.”
Its description of Ivanka Trump as a “ravishing vixen” or “foxy lady” fond of “string bikinis” and “flimsy lingerie” didn’t read as standard news reporting. Nevertheless, people commenting on the tweet reacted as if the linked material was unquestionably true:
Although the text was small, a label next to the post’s date indicated it was “humor”:
In the sidebar, a list of “Recent Posts” featured similar “satirical” content:
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Although there was no clear satire disclaimer on the post reporting Ivanka Trump accused Dr. Fauci of “trying to make [her] father look incompetent,” it was labeled “humor” and completely fabricated.