Pam Bondi's Fake Quote: The Truth Behind the Viral Meme

In April 2025, a viral meme spread across social media platforms, claiming that U. S. Attorney General Pam Bondi made a controversial statement on "Fox News Sunday. " The meme suggested that Bondi had said, "It's probably a crime to accuse the president of committing a crime after he breaks the law. " Many users shared this quote, often linking it to former President Donald Trump, even though his name was not mentioned in the quote. The meme featured a screenshot of what appeared to be a "Fox News Sunday" chyron, a term used in the TV industry for the text that runs along the bottom of the screen during broadcasts. This chyron supposedly displayed Bondi's quote. However, this graphic was not genuine. It was a creation from a Facebook page run by a user who identifies himself as a comedian and satirist. The misinformation spread rapidly across various platforms, including 9gag, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Users shared the quote as text or as an image, believing it to be a real statement made by Bondi. The quote was widely interpreted as a defense of Trump, although neither the quote nor the image explicitly mentioned him. Bondi did indeed appear on "Fox News Sunday" on April 6, 2025, for an interview with host Shannon Bream. However, she did not make the quoted statement. A thorough search of major search engines and news outlets confirmed that no reputable media source reported Bondi as having said these words.

The fake chyron originated from a post on April 11, 2025, on a Facebook page managed by James Schlarmann. Schlarmann is known for creating satirical content and describes himself as a comedian and satirist. His Facebook page features various fake quotes attributed to public figures. One of his popular fake quotes showed Bondi saying, "Putting Tapatio on your eggs is a sign that you're in MS-13. " Another depicted U. S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying, "President Donald Trump is as committed to peace in Ukraine as he is dedicated to his first wife. " Schlarmann also runs a satirical website called The Political Garbage Chute, as well as Alternative-Science. com. His work has been the subject of previous fact-checks by Snopes, which addressed similar satirical claims. For instance, Snopes debunked a rumor that tech billionaire Elon Musk planned to buy Facebook to delete the social media platform. Another rumor involved Trump supposedly signing an executive order naming himself the winner of the 2016 presidential election's popular vote. It is crucial to be cautious about content from sources that label their work as humorous or satirical. Such content can easily be mistaken for genuine news, leading to the spread of misinformation. Always verify the source and check for reliable reports before believing and sharing such content.

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