Donald Trump is carrying around a title other than the president of the United States. Amid global protests in response to the police killing of George Floyd, social media has labeled the president "bunker boy" after denying reports he was ushered into in an underground White House bunker when demonstrations took place outside of the residence on Friday.
Speaking with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on Wednesday, the president called reports that he had hidden out in the bunker for an hour "fake news." Claiming that he was only in the bunker for a "very, very short period of time," Trump stated, "they said it would be a good time to go down and take a look because maybe sometime you're going to need it." He explained his presence in the bunker as an "inspection" and said that he "went down during the day," not during the night as thousands of protesters gathered outside of the White House.
The president's move to the bunker was first reported by The New York Times. A Republican close to the White House later told the Associated Press that he had spent almost an hour in the bunker, where he had been rushed to by Secret Service. An anonymous administration official confirmed that account to the AP. Trump was said to be outraged by the reports, with CNN later reporting that Trump's staged photo-op at St. John's Episcopal Church, in which he held a Bible after peaceful protesters were tear-gassed and shot with rubber bullets, was to combat the mocking he received. That story was also confirmed by several other outlets.
While the president may be trying to fend off any potential mocking over the alleged Friday incident, he has only fanned the flames. Following his remarks with Kilmeade, social media erupted in the discourse, many mocking the president with the "bunker boy" hashtag. Keep scrolling to see how Twitter reacted to the president's claims.