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| - A story that circulated online in April 2025 claimed a newborn baby in the tourist destination town of Branson, Missouri, was named "MAGA Trump Jr." — a reference to U.S. President Donald Trump and his slogan "Make America Great Again."
For example, on April 18, a manager of the Branson Area Breaking News Facebook page posted (archived) a purported picture of a mother in a hospital bed holding a newborn baby, both of them wearing Trump's signature red MAGA hats.
(Branson Area Breaking News/Facebook)
The post began:
Newborn named "MAGA" born at Cox Medical Center Branson.
A baby born at Cox Medical Center in Branson, Missouri, has been named "MAGA Trump Jr.," referencing the slogan "Make America Great Again." The child's birth has already sparked conversations due to his unique name, reflecting a trend of politically inspired naming.
Numerous other users shared the rumor on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and X, with some apparently believing the story was factual. Several Snopes readers also emailed about the matter, with one person asking, "Was there really a baby named MAGA Trump Jr. born in Branson, MO?"
However, this story was not true. The tale originated with Branson Area Breaking News, and searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo located no evidence from news media outlets of any recently-born babies with the name "MAGA Trump Jr."
The Branson Area Breaking News Facebook page's bio mentions both parody and satire, and features the description, "We are a world renowned satirical news organization & have received many awards for our breaking news stories!"
Aside from the story, the photo of the mother and baby displayed a glaring indication that someone created the picture with an artificial-intelligence tool. Both MAGA hats featured letters that did not legibly display — one of several common signs of generative-AI manipulation.
A manager of the Branson Area Breaking News Facebook page identified only as Margaret responded to a request for comment via Messenger, asking for publicity for the page. A representative for Cox Medical Center Branson did not yet respond to a voicemail asking whether they wished to comment about the satirical matter.
Snopes has addressed similar satirical claims originating from Branson Area Breaking News in the past, including the assertion that a photo showed hundreds of black bears taking over U.S. Highway 65 near Branson, and a rumor that officials in St. Louis revealed plans to relocate the city's famous Gateway Arch to Branson.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources calling their output humorous or satirical.
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