A social media post attributed to Donald Trump in which the US President called Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a “sad little man” and “retarded” has been found to be fake.

In the supposed Truth Social post – designed to stir tensions between Australians and Americans – Trump attacks Albanese for refusing to help the US in the Iran war.

The post imitates the President’s style, including his use of capitalisation and exclamation marks. But it is entirely fabricated.  

Trump told White House reporters on April 16 that he was “not happy with Australia” for allegedly refusing to help the US reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

However, Albanese said on April 17 that the US had sent “no new requests” for assistance in the Strait of Hormuz.

The social media post in question claims Trump has taken his criticism of Albanese to a new level. 

It includes a screenshot of a supposed Truth Social post in which the President purportedly says: “I am not happy with the RETARDED Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony ‘Airbus’ Albanese”.

“We have helped him so much, but he did not want to help us in Iran,” the post continues. 

“A very sad little man!”

The federal opposition previously labelled the Prime Minister “Airbus Albo” after Labor’s 2022 election victory, in reference to his overseas travel.

The fake post goes on to quote Trump as saying: “I just heard he travelled to Asia to secure 1 million barrels of oil, which is ONLY one day of supply for Australia.

“We could have helped you Anthony, and the great people of Australia, but you made your choice by not helping us. WE WILL NOT FORGET!!!”

It then signs off: “Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT.”

A reverse image search shows the fabricated Truth Social post was published on X on April 17 by a user who regularly posts satirical content about Australian politics.

While the screenshot of the post includes the same username, profile picture and pink tick as Trump’s real Truth Social account, the font used in the fake post does not match the platform’s usual style. 

The Truth+ logo, which appears after Trump’s username in genuine posts, is also missing. 

A search of Trump’s Truth Social account for the word “Albanese” reveals no such post about the Prime Minister.

The post also could not be found on Trump’s Truth, an independent web archive that records his posts on the platform.

The claim Albanese travelled to Asia “to secure 1 million barrels of oil” is also incorrect.

After visiting key allies in Asia, the Prime Minister announced his government secured 100 million litres of diesel from Brunei and South Korea, totalling 570,000 barrels.

This is approximately a day’s worth of Australian consumption, according to analysts.

However, Albanese said they were the first of “many expected shipments” of fuel.

-AAP