Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday that several organizers of recent anti-ICE protests at churches in Minnesota have been arrested. Shortly after, the White House
The post was quickly fact-checked by Community Notes on X, which stated, “Digitally altered image. See original arrest photo here.” Community notes include new york posta real version of the image is shown, but Armstrong is clearly not crying.
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The White House’s X post includes an all-caps caption that reads, “Arrested. Nekima Levy Armstrong, far-left agitator who organized church riot in Minnesota.”
Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel’s X account released images of Armstrong and other arrested activists. But no one seems to be crying. Crooked Media journalist Matt Berg wrote on X that he asked White House officials if the crying image had been changed and was told “the meme will continue.”
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Meme-ification of major news events is a natural part of the Trump administration’s social media accounts. As Mashable previously reported, the Trump administration is using X and social media to dehumanize and insult its perceived enemies, often using 4chan-style memes and artificial intelligence in the process.
Bondi also posted about his arrest at X. post It reported that the protesters were charged with “conspiracy against rights,” a federal crime that impedes the exercise of constitutional rights. Right-wing commentators also claimed that protesters were violating the FACE Act. Ironically, the FACE Act (Free Access to Clinic Entrances Act), a law signed by President Bill Clinton to prevent protesters from blocking entrances to abortion clinics, also protects protesters from blocking entrances to houses of worship.
The First Amendment gives Americans the right to peacefully protest. However, it does not give protesters the right to enter churches without permission and shut down services. In fact, this type of conduct violates the First Amendment right of others to freely practice their free religion.
Video of an anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in St. Paul quickly went viral, with many viewers divided between supporting the protesters and attacking them as overreach. Videos and photos of protesters being arrested are currently going viral.
As more Americans get their news from social media, the Trump administration has mastered the art of turning the news into reality-TV-style entertainment, with Trump as the star.
