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Jen Psaki highlights fake Twitter account after it posts joke about Trump wearing kneepads to the Kremlin

Former White House press secretary flags tweet as from parody account

Oliver O'Connell
New York
Sunday 19 June 2022 22:13 BST
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Key moments from Jen Psaki’s time as White House press secretary

Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki was forced to deny a Twitter account making a joke about former President Donald Trump was hers.

A screenshot of a post from a fake Twitter account with a fake blue check mark — though labelled as a parody — purports to show Ms Psaki saying: “President Biden might need kneepads for riding his bike, but the last guy needed kneepads for visiting the Kremlin.”

The tweet was captioned by the poster: “Jen Psaki’s MSNBC show is going to be the highest rated ever 🔥.”

Ms Psaki posted from her own account: “Hate to disappoint, but… This is not my account. This is not approved by me on any level. (And there have been a number of these in the last few weeks).”

She added: “Anything with ‘Parody’ in it means it is someone tweeting with an image and Twitter account that looks like me and is not.”

The fake tweet appeared a few hours after President Joe Biden fell off his bike when stopping to greet supporters and answer questions from the press in Rehoboth Beach where he is celebrating his 45th anniversary with Jill Biden over the Juneteenth federal holiday weekend.

The president’s foot caught in the toe guard on his bike and he fell over sideways, causing a scramble by Secret Service agents and reporters.

He suffered no injuries, answered questions from reporters, and attended church later in the day.

Ms Psaki is set to join MSNBC as a political analyst throughout the 2022 United States elections and during the 2024 presidential campaign.

She will also host a show on NBC’s Peacock streaming service beginning in 2023.

Former President Trump often spoke of Russian President Vladimir Putin in very complimentary terms, even calling his invasion of Ukraine “genius”.

His presidency was dogged by allegations of collusion with Russia.

Speaking at an event in Memphis, Tennessee on Saturday, in the wake of Mr Biden’s fall, Mr Trump pledged never to ride a bike.

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