WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Donald Trump called Anthony Albanese "not very smart" in a Truth Social post.
OUR VERDICT
The Truth Social post is a fake.
AAP FACTCHECK - US President Donald Trump didn't say Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was "not very smart" in a social media post after a phone call between the two leaders.
A supposed Truth Social post, which uses Mr Trump's typical style of capitalisation, exclamation marks and hashtags, is a fake.
A screenshot of the fake post is being shared on Facebook following a talk between Mr Trump and Mr Albanese on September 4, 2025.
"Last night I spoke with Australian Prime Minister, Anthony 'Airbus' Albanese," it reads.
The federal opposition initially labelled Mr Albanese "Airbus Albo" following Labor's victory in the 2022 election, in reference to his overseas travel.
"This conversation confirmed what I already knew to be true," the fake post continues, "he is not very SMART!"
"He keeps asking to meet with me, maybe we can lock in a SHOWDOWN in the Oval Office soon. It will not go very well for him! Australians recently marched for their freedom & DEPORTATIONS. They also don't want to be banned from social media. Do the RIGHT thing Anthony! #MakeAustraliaGreatAgain."
A reverse image search shows the screenshot was originally posted on X by a user who appears primarily to post satirical content about Australian politicians.
AAP FactCheck has previously debunked fake Truth Social posts from the account.
Although the image includes the same username, profile picture and pink tick as the president's official Truth Social account - @realDonaldTrump - the font is different from the one used by the platform.
A search of Mr Trump's official Truth Social account for the word "Albanese" revealed no such post about the prime minister.
Neither could the post be found on Trump's Truth, an independent web archive that records the president's posts on the platform.
The fake post directly contradicts Mr Albanese's own account of the call.
The prime minister said in an X post on September 4, 2025, that he had a "warm and constructive conversation" with the US president, discussing trade and economic relations.
The fake post's other references seem likely to tie in with recent Australian political events, including anti-immigration marches and the government's proposed social media ban for under-16s.
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