The problem with today’s climate of short attention spans and the prevalence of Trump Derangement Syndrome is that it is easy for publishers and social media accounts to peddle fake news and allow it to spread far and wide. The latest media hoax involves President Donald Trump supposedly saying that he “couldn’t care less” about mending political fences, healing the nation, and uniting 340 million Americans in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s tragic death.
New Trump Media Hoax
President Trump appeared on Fox & Friends for a Sept. 12 interview, revealing that authorities had captured the suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination. He also announced that the administration will be sending the National Guard to Memphis, TN, to help clean up the crime problem.
Host Ainsley Earhardt asked the president, "How do we fix this country? How do we come back together?" Here is how various media outlets reported on the president’s response:
The Independent: "Trump admits he ‘couldn’t care less’ about fixing caustic US political divide."
The London Guardian: "The US is on the brink of another era of political violence – and Donald Trump ‘couldn’t care less.'"
HuffPost: "Trump: 'Couldn't Care Less' About Bringing Country Together"
People: "Donald Trump Says He 'Couldn’t Care Less' About Mending Political Divide After Charlie Kirk’s Death”
BuzzFeed: "Trump Says He 'Couldn't Care Less' About Unifying the Country After Charlie Kirk's Death"
Across social media outlets, whether X or Reddit, the blatant mischaracterization of his remarks went viral. Even Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) got in on the action, writing on Elon Musk's platform: "TRUMP DOESN'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOU. JUST WATCH."
But did the president really say he “couldn’t care less” about repairing the United States? Roll the tape.
"I'll tell you something that's going to get me in trouble, but I couldn't care less. The radicals on the right, oftentimes, they're radical because they don't want to see crime. They don't want to see crime. Worried about the border. They're saying, ‘We don't want these people coming in. We don't want you burning our shopping centers. We don't want you shooting our people in the middle of the street.’
"The radicals on the left are the problem, and they're vicious and they're horrible, and they're savvy, although they want men in women's sports, they want transgender for everyone."
By reading the transcripts and watching the clip, Trump is clearly stating that he “couldn’t care less” about getting in trouble by saying that the radical right is not an issue, but rather the radical left. Of course, this topic can be debated among the talking heads in the news media, but the president did not proclaim indifference to the extreme partisanship ubiquitous across the country.
Fake News in 2025
The current administration is only about nine months old, and there have been dozens of fake news stories perpetrated by the mainstream media since Inauguration Day.
It was claimed that President Trump halted Medicaid payments in January. Perhaps reporters thought the White House took a chainsaw to the program because payment portals were temporarily down. Debates have been ongoing on Capitol Hill regarding funding and combating fraud, but the president has not announced plans to abolish Medicaid.
In March, CNN tried to fact-check the president's assertion that the previous administration spent taxpayer funds on "making mice transgender." The network had to issue an update, "An earlier version of this item incorrectly characterized as false Trump’s claim about federal money being spent for 'making mice transgender.'"
MSNBC reported in April that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Trump had a “good friendship” with Russian President Vladimir Putin when she was actually talking about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Host Stephanie Ruhle was forced to issue an on-air apology.
The list will be a lengthy one by the time January 2029 arrives.
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