On Jan. 10, 2026, a rumor claimed that an oil executive had an unusual complaint about U.S. President Donald Trump's alleged flatulence, saying the president "smelled like rotten roast beef" and farted around a dozen times during a White House meeting.
The claim was shared on Instagram, Facebook and X by The Halfway Post, and Snopes readers searched for evidence of the veracity of this claim on our site. The posts stated:
BREAKING: A top oil company executive says Donald Trump "smelled like rotten roast beef" during his big White House meeting on Venezuela, he farted audibly no less than a dozen times, and he kept getting up to look at and compliment the nonexistent ballroom like he's senile.
(X user @HalfwayPost)
We found no evidence of an oil executive making such a statement about the president. Rather, the rumor about the complaint about Trump's farts and smell originated with The Halfway Post, which describes its social media accounts' output as being humorous or satirical in nature. As such, this claim is labeled satire.
The Halfway Post's bio on X and Threads states:
Dadaist graffiti news. Halfway true comedy and satire for your doomscrolling by Dash MacIntyre. I don't report the facts, I improve them.
The Halfway Post has a history of making up claims for shares and comments. A Medium article by The Halfway Post stated:
My best headlines dance right on the line between believability and absurdity, and the punchline is kind of how it takes a moment to guess whether what you're reading is real or satire. Is it my fault my cartoonish headlines fool people who don't know my brand when a post of mine goes viral, or is it Trump's fault for being such a cartoon of a human being?
On Jan. 9, 2026, oil executives met with Trump at the White House to discuss potential investment in Venezuela, whose President Nicolás Maduro the U.S. had recently captured, along with his wife, and charged with federal crimes including narco-terrorism conspiracy.
Trump said the country would get at least $100 billion in investment to rebuild its energy sector, with U.S. security guarantees. However, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods called the current climate "uninvestable" and ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance said Venezuela would need major reforms. Chevron is currently the only major U.S. oil company operating in Venezuela through joint ventures.
Snopes has previously reported on Trump's claim that Venezuela illegally "stole" assets and land from U.S.-owned oil companies.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.