In late May 2025, claims (archived) circulated that 73 world leaders had canceled trips to the White House, citing concerns for their "safety and dignity."
One popular Facebook post read:
As of yesterday, a staggering 73 leaders have decided to cancel their trips to the White House, citing concerns for their safety and dignity. That's right, 73 leaders! Now, you might be wondering what's going on. Well, it seems that some of these leaders have been experiencing less-than-ideal treatment during their visits. In fact, just yesterday, a "BULLETIN" was issued, warning these leaders not to go to the White House, as it's a trap! According to the advisory, both South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were subjected to impolite treatment during their visits. Ramaphosa was reportedly met with a cold reception, while Zelensky was rudely set upon by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who berated the leaders. So, if you're a leader thinking about visiting the White House, be cautious and consider the potential risks.
The claim also circulated on Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), X (archived) and Bluesky (archived). Snopes readers also emailed to ask if the claim was true.
However, we found no evidence that 73 world leaders had canceled visits to the U.S. around May 2025. The claim likely originated on the Substack blog (archived) of Lewis Grossberger, a journalist and writer who has previously written satire. After this story initially posted, Grossberger confirmed via Facebook direct message that his blog, "Raw Truth Bulletin," was indeed satire.
Grossberger's post contained an image that online detectors said was highly likely to have been generated by artificial intelligence (AI). The post also included references to organizations or quotes that we could not find credible reports of online.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said via email that the claim was "nonsense."
Blog post contained clues to satirical origin
Grossberger's piece was sprinkled throughout with indications that it was intended to be read as satire. The blog post started with an image that online AI detectors Hive Moderation and SightEngine said was highly likely to have been generated by AI. Both detectors said Flux, an AI art generator, probably created the image.
(Sightengine/Hive Moderation/Snopes Illustration)
The image also carried visual signs it was generated by AI. Trump's hands curve in an unnatural way, and a statue of a dog on the left side of the picture appeared to be missing a leg and a tail.
As for the text, Grossberger's piece correctly referenced Évariste Ndayishimiye as the president of Burundi. However, we found no credible reports that Ndayishimiye was due to visit Washington, D.C., in an official capacity in May 2025. According to the X page Burundi Embassy in USA, Ndayishimiye did visit (archived) Washington, D.C., in February 2025. We asked the embassy if officials were aware of a planned and canceled trip in May 2025 and await a reply.
This section of Grossberger's article also misidentified the foreign minister of Burundi as Barton Nkrubomotuva — the actual foreign minister is Albert Shingiro.
The article further featured a quote from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who met with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 21, 2025, as a cautionary tale against world leaders traveling to the U.S.
According to Grossberger's article, Ramaphosa said of the dramatic meeting where Trump presented evidence — since widely debunked — of a genocide of white farmers in South Africa:
I came here to spruce up my image for the forthcoming election so I can win without even rigging it. Trump was supposed to call me a steadfast ally in the war against obscenity. Instead he might as well have beaten me with a wooden paddle like those used in burlesque theatrical sketches in the early 20th century. I felt insulted and headachy.
We did not find credible reports attributing the quote to Ramaphosa in online searches (archived) (archived) (archived) (archived).
The article also credited a travel advisory, titled: "BULLETIN: Don't Go to the White House—It's a TRAP!!" to the International Organization of Trip Planning for Heads of State. We did not find credible evidence of this organization in online searches (archived) (archived) (archived) (archived).
"It's a trap!" is a well-known internet meme based on a quote from Admiral Ackbar, a character from Star Wars.