President Donald Trump has shared a seemingly AI-generated photograph of himself riding a rhinoceros and carrying a gun, in what appears to be a warning to so-called soft-touch Republicans.
The president reposted the image on Truth Social, which shows him on top of the animal alongside the text: “No RINOs! Repost to make the point clear.”
The picture was originally shared by an account called @1776WeThePeople1776.
What RINO Means
The slogan “RINOs” stands for “Republican In Name Only” and has grown in popularity within the party as an insult aimed at those who disagree with Trump on key issues.
But the term has been used throughout the party’s history to refer to those whose views are not perceived as aligning with the line of the moment.
Vox reports that people were referred to as “republican in name only” as far back as 1865, before it was necessarily associated with the political party, but rather in reference to the “republicanism” as an ideology that supported the sovereignty of the people and elected officials, as opposed to a monarch.
The context
The post comes as Trump marked Memorial Day on Monday, May 25, with a series of posts against the Democratic Party, labelling them as “Dumocrats.” Newsweek reached out to the White House’s press office for comment via email.
“Happy Memorial Day to all, including the Dumocrats, who disrespect our Military and all of the tremendous success that it has had over the last year,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “God Bless those that have made the ultimate sacrifice. I love you all!”
He followed up with another post attacking Democrats, writing that they had “BAD POLICY AND BAD CANDIDATES,” adding: “Other than that, they are doing quite well!”
It follows Trump’s defence of the peace deal he says he is working on with Iran, amid backlash from hardline Republicans who argue any agreement could be weaker than previous arrangements.
According to reports, a draft proposal suggests the countries could agree to end the conflict without first addressing Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.
Critics, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have hit out at the hypothetical agreement, saying it does not align with “America First” foreign policy and drawing comparisons to the 2015 nuclear deal struck under former President Barack Obama, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Trump withdrew from during his first term.
However, Trump pushed back on Truth Social, saying any deal would be “the exact opposite” of the 2015 agreement.
“If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper one, not like the one made by Obama, which gave Iran massive amounts of CASH, and a clear and open path to a Nuclear Weapon,” he wrote.
“Our deal is the exact opposite, but nobody has seen it, or knows what it is. It isn’t even fully negotiated yet. So don’t listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about. Unlike those before me who should have solved this problem many years ago, I don’t make bad deals!”
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