Screenshot/Weibo
- Donald Trump's indictment has birthed scores of memes on Weibo, China's version of Twitter.
- Weibo users called Trump "Comrade Nation Builder" — a hero who's helping China by hurting the US.
- They're jokingly sending Trump messages of support and posting melancholic AI-generated montages.
Former President Donald Trump's indictment has Chinese social media users posting a flurry of memes calling him "Comrade Nation Builder" — a hero who's strengthening China by embarrassing the US.
The idea behind the "Comrade Nation Builder" nickname on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, is that Trump is an ally of China who went to Washington for the sole purpose of sabotaging America with wild antics and outrageous policies.
With Trump indicted by a New York grand jury on Thursday, Weibo users are now pretending to express passionate concern for their "comrade," joking that he's under persecution for supporting China. Insider's sweep of Weibo on Thursday surfaced dozens of posts lauding Trump's actions as efforts to boost China by tearing the US apart.
"Comrade Nation Builder, in the police station, in the courts, you must surely endure, we are waiting for you to retire so you can return and watch the sunset with us," read one popular post on Friday. It features a montage of AI-generated images stitched together to show Trump retiring in China after having fulfilled his "mission."
In the images, Trump does taichi exercises with Chinese seniors, lugs groceries home from a wet market, and laughs with Chinese people on a subway. "Red Sunset," the melancholic theme song of a state TV channel that runs programs about the lives of the Chinese elderly, plays over the montage.
The montage also bizarrely takes clips out of context to make it seem as though Trump is in a relationship with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
—Matthew Loh (@ma2loh) March 31, 2023
In the comments, Weibo users poured their hearts out for "Comrade Nation Builder."
"Your last mission, return home safely," commented one Weibo user.
"Would you like to join the Party, Comrade Nation Builder?" another wrote, referring to the Chinese Communist Party, helmed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Another batch of AI-generated images posted on Weibo shows Trump in jobs often worked by elderly men in China, such as a construction worker, a trishaw driver, and a deliveryman.
"Comrade Nation Builder's retirement and re-employment life after completing his mission and returning to China," the post's caption read.
Screenshot/Weibo
Meanwhile, a livestream of a faux news broadcasts announcing Trump's indictment plays heroic themes from Hollywood films, such as music from Star Wars and Indiana Jones. People wrote sarcastic encouragements for Trump in the video's comments.
"Comrade Nation Builder, how difficult your work has been! It really hasn't been easy for you," wrote one.
"Nation Builder — if it doesn't work out, then just come home," another posted with a crying emoji.
Trump's indictment is linked to the Stormy Daniels hush-money payments case, which is thought to be central to the investigation into the former president. He faces more than 30 felony charges, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the case.
In the weeks before Trump was indicted, some Weibo users voiced their support for him and called on his "redneck supporters" to "rally around their king.
It is unclear if these messages were genuine expressions of grassroots support for Trump in China. This is because Weibo is a heavily moderated platform that's tightly censored by the Chinese government and does not consistently reflect a comprehensive perspective of moods on the ground in China.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/L3HCAsx
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