On November 13, a Facebook account shared (1, 2) a video originally posted on TikTok, which, according to the account, features a quote from Donald Trump about sanctioning Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of the Georgian Dream. The video shows only a photo of the U.S. president elect, overlaid with the following caption: “Donald Trump: ‘We are preparing such severe sanctions against Ivanishvili’s regime that they might not even be able to afford a cup of instant soup.’”
The claim that Donald Trump has announced the plan to sanction Ivanishvili does not correspond to the reality. No such quote can be found in open sources, and it has not been disseminated by any media outlet or government agency.
It is worth noting that Donald Trump has nominated Congressman Michael Waltz as his National Security Advisor. Waltz has previously called for sanctions against Putin and his allies. Specifically, in 2020, he and 12 other congressmen submitted a report in which Bidzina Ivanishvili was identified as a close ally of Putin. According to the document, it was necessary to also sanction Putin’s allies involved in destabilization efforts and the spreading of pro-Russian disinformation. Nevertheless, at this stage, Donald Trump has not made any statements regarding Ivanishvili or Georgia’s ruling party.
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The source of the fake quote
The video shared on Facebook was initially published by the TikTok account “citizen000007.” Since October 28, this account has been posting content in support of protest rallies; in recent days, however, it has started sharing fake and ironic quotes, accompanied by photos of well-known individuals, politicians, fashion models, or AI-generated images. Among these are at least two additional fabricated quotes attributed to Donald Trump. In one of them, he insults the Georgian Dream and its supporters, while in another, he expresses support for the Georgian people’s protests against the rigged election.
As previously noted, similar to the claim circulated on Facebook, the quotes featured in the abovementioned two videos are also fabricated, and Trump has not made such statements.
Myth Detector has previously identified disinformation spread by the TikTok account “citizen000007.” Read more about the account in the following material:
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