BEIJING — In China , Twitter is blocked but fake tweets by @realdonaldtrump look set to become the latest internet sensation.
Users are flocking to websites that let them generate images of fake tweets that look just like those sent from U. S. President Donald Trump’s distinctive personal Twitter account — replete with his avatar and a real-time timestamp.
Jike, a Shanghai-based startup running one such website, said Thursday that in just four days, users have created more than a million fake realdonaldtrump tweets in Chinese and English, often mimicking Mr. Trump’s tone and fondness for exclamation marks. They are being shared on Chinese social networking sites to crack jokes, tout online goods and send Lunar New Year greetings.
After suggesting he wants to renegotiate the One China policy, Donald Trump was labeled a « rookie » by China’s nationalist tabloid.
The fake Trump tweets circulating on Chinese social media reflect how Mr. Trump’s use of Twitter is even seeping into the popular consciousness of a country where Twitter has been blocked by censors for years.
Although Mr. Trump’s comments on trade, Taiwan and the South China Sea have raised concerns in Beijing, there is a certain fascination about him among some young Chinese who see him as a symbol of American showmanship but overlook his anti-China rhetoric, at least for now.
