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| - In the aftermath of the Kansas City Chiefs' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, 2025, a rumor that U.S. President Donald Trump blamed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and pop music superstar Taylor Swift for the Chiefs' 18-point loss circulated on social media.
Posts alleged to depict a screenshot of a Trump post spread on platforms like X (archived), Facebook (archived) and Instagram (archived), with one user on X (archived) saying, "#Trump does not know respect, decency or decorum. He's attacking everyone and everything: @taylorswift13, the Chiefs, the Eagles, DEI, and USAID in a single post."
(@ChrisDJackson/X)
The alleged Trump post read:
The Chiefs' Super Bowl performance was a DISASTER—totally EMBARRASSING! Maybe too focused on DEI nonsense instead of WINNING? Meanwhile, the Eagles get all the help—USAID money flowing in like water. And let's not forget Taylor Swift—her presence was a DISTRACTION for Travis Kelce. The only good part? The MASSIVE cheers for me—louder than anything in the game! People are saying the MOST EVER at a Super Bowl. The fans know!
Despite its being shared widely across social media, there is no evidence that Trump posted this statement to his Truth Social account.
A look at Trump's Truth Social feed shows there is no post matching the shared image nor any evidence there was a post that was later deleted. Further, the featured font in the viral screenshot is not the default font of Truth Social.
However, Trump did make two posts (archived, archived) about the Super Bowl that were critical of the event, including one calling out frequent Trump target Taylor Swift. Trump wrote, "The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift. She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!"
His second post said, "The worst part of the Super Bowl, by far, was watching the Kickoff where, as the ball is sailing through the air, the entire field is frozen, stiff. College Football does not do it, and won't! Whose idea was it to ruin the Game?"
The latter post refers to a new "dynamic kickoff" rule enacted by the National Football League (NFL) in the 2024-2025 season, which the league defines in part:
Kicker cannot cross the 50-yard line until ball touches the ground or player in landing zone or end zone.
The 10 kicking team players cannot move until the ball hits the ground or player in the landing zone or the end zone.
All players in the setup zone cannot move until the kick has hit the ground or a player in the landing zone or the end zone.
The fake viral post spread amid the Trump administration's attack on DEI programs and USAID, which resulted in the closure of NASA's DEI office, revocation of a 1965 executive order about equal employment opportunities and Elon Musk's attempt to "dismantle" USAID.
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