Fact Check

No, Pam Bondi didn't say she would prosecute people who call the president 'Clown Prince Trump'

Satirical chyrons about politics are very common online.

by Rae Deng, Published May 29, 2025


A screenshot of a satirical Fox News chyron which says "FOX MEWS" and ""IF YOU CALL HIM 'CLOWN PRINCE TRUMP' FOX MEWS YOU WILL BE PROSECUTED" -AG BONDI" alongside a picture of Bondi, a white woman with blonde hair.

Image courtesy of Facebook user Mrs. Putin


Claim:
A screenshot authentically shows a Fox News chyron quoting U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as saying, "If you call him 'Clown Prince Trump' you will be prosecuted."
Rating:
Originated as Satire

About this rating


In late May 2025, social media users spread a screenshot online of a supposed Fox News broadcast that suggested U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that anyone in the United States who called President Donald Trump "Clown Prince Trump" would be prosecuted. 

Many people on Facebook reposted the screenshot; while some, like actor George Takei, labeled it as satire, others did not. The chyron — text at the bottom of a TV broadcast — also appeared on X, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky

A news chyron for

(Facebook user Marcy Carlone)

However, closer inspection of the post clearly revealed it was not a legitimate Fox News chyron, as there are numerous misspellings, including "Fox Mews," "Braking Mews," "Chanel" and "LIVER from Prussia" instead of "LIVE from Russia." Furthermore, the post's watermark tied it to a Facebook user named Mrs. Putin, whose page is labeled "Satire/Parody." One of the people behind Mrs. Putin confirmed via Facebook direct message that the chyron originated with their satirical work. 

As the user noted, the "very silly ticker tape" also says "Pam Bond-Izabich- White House Correspondent," rather than correctly labeling Bondi as "Pam Bondi, Attorney General." While it is cut off in many of the reposts, the original post (archived) from Mrs. Putin's page, dated May 19, also said "NADSAQ" instead of "NASDAQ" in reference to the stock market index and "LIVER" instead of "LIVE" in the bottom right corner. 

 

"We do CNNN Mews, Fox Mews, PSB Mews, ßßC World Disservice etc. All are very clearly identifiable as satire," the user said. The person Snopes spoke to, who declined to share their real name as they have received death threats because of their page, said they were based in California, although they also have people editing the page in Scotland and Ohio. 

The Mrs. Putin page publishes other satirical chyrons; the introduction for the page says it is a "fictional character based on a selfish crook who inadvertently found wealth and power." 

Mrs. Putin also addressed the fact that the page's post was widely shared in another Facebook post

Satirical chyrons are very common online; see our collection of fake chyrons for more examples. 

For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources calling their output humorous or satirical.


By Rae Deng

Grace "Rae" Deng specializes in government/politics and is based in Tacoma, Wash.


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