Social Democrat MEP Marita Ulvskog has found herself on the receiving end of online jokes after sharing a tweet from a spoof account mocking US President Donald Trump at its face value.
In the post shared by Ulvskog, the account @realDonaldTrFan, which is marked as a parody beyond any doubt, “slammed” research of possible coronavirus cure in French, arguing that “nobody speaks it” and wondering “why can't they write it in English”.
“A message from the world's most powerful politician”, Ulvskog wrote, signalling her readiness to criticise Trump, who remains uniquely unpopular in Sweden, having repeatedly polled as Sweden's least favourite politician.
Meddelande från världens mäktigaste politiker i ett skarpt läge.....#svpol https://t.co/F3V0jQQetx
— Marita Ulvskog (@maritaulvskog) March 22, 2020
Ulvskog's gaffe didn't go unnoticed.
“It's a parody account. It is hard to decide sometimes, though, when it comes to Trump”, one user kindly informed her.
Det är ett parodikonto. Det är svårt att avgöra ibland när det gäller Trump visserligen.
— Daniel.K (@onfajah) March 22, 2020
“Marita, your internet driving license is hereby withdrawn for at least 3 months. Kind regards”, another one quipped.
Marita- ditt internetkörkort är härmed indragen i minst 3 månader. MVH
— VAHASTU. MVH (@Vahastu) March 22, 2020
“But Marita! In these fake news times, one should be able to see the difference between parody and reality. But of course... Sweden's regime looks more like a parody too, so it's hard to see the difference then”, another mused.
Men Marita! I dessa fejknjus-tider bör man kunna se skillnaden på vad som är parodi och verklighet. Men det är klart... Sveriges regim ter sig mer som en parodi den också, så det är ju svårt att se skillnaden då.
— Mi Grandin (@migrandin) March 23, 2020
Many more found it comical that this faux pas was was committed by none other that Ulvskog, whose party, the Social Democrats, have repeatedly prioritised “source criticism”.
“Coach's tip: Pretend you were joking for god's sake!” another one suggested.
Tips från coachen: Låtsas som om du skojade för guds skull!
— PrebenTuborg (@PrebenTuborg) March 22, 2020
However, Ulvskog didn't delete the tweet, leaving Twitterians scratching their heads.
The mock account Long Phung, whose very name may be interpreted in Swedish as “long scrotum”, has fewer than 500 followers and is known for publishing satire and memes in mock Chinese accent. Long Phung countered the allegations in the report by portraying the authors as “Japanese agents” in a series of memes.
Incidentally, the account noticed Ulvskog's gaffe as well.
Swedish female politician think real account from Trump. Long Phung VERY understand now why Sweden not #1.
— Long Phung 長襠 (@LongPung11) March 22, 2020
智障的女人https://t.co/peZKnUdZqo
In 2016, Ulvskog fell victim to another fake account impersonating then-Housing Minister Peter Eriksson, Nyheter24 reported.
