NN Online:
Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country following a mass uprising by students and the public on August 5. Since then, a claim has circulated on social media alleging that US President Donald Trump still recognises Hasina as the country’s prime minister. This claim has now been fact-checked by AFP.
The report said the claim circulating under Trump’s name is false. He has not made any such statement.
“That claims spreading on social media, stating Trump called Sheikh Hasina the current prime minister of Bangladesh, are false. In reality, Trump made no such comment in the interview, nor did he mention Bangladesh at all,” it said.
Following Sheikh Hasina’s downfall, several posts on social media claimed that former US President Trump, in an interview, said, “Since Hasina had not resigned, she is still the prime minister of Bangladesh.”
The issue came to light after President Mohammad Shahabuddin gave an interview to a local media. AFP’s report references a post on social media from November 9, which claimed that Trump still considers Sheikh Hasina the prime minister of Bangladesh. The post also included a statement, “Those who said Sheikh Hasina fled, show me her resignation letter.”
A photo was also shared along with the post on Facebook, showing Trump speaking with PBD Podcast host Patrick Bet-David. The caption on the photo reads in Bengali, “I believe Hasina is still the prime minister of Bangladesh: Trump.”
AFP reported that the US presidential election took place on November 5. Prior to that, on October 17, Trump gave an interview to the PBD Podcast, which was published on the channel’s YouTube page. In the interview, he made no mention of Bangladesh or Sheikh Hasina. Additionally, ABC News also covered the interview, but found no evidence of Trump discussing Bangladesh.