Backlash grows over Trump AI video as White House downplays concerns
Plus: Are you sad about frozen orange juice, too?
Greetings!
Here are the latest trending internet culture stories today:
The White House deflected criticism of Trump’s horrific AI video of the Obamas posted during Black History Month, no less.
People are oddly sad that Minute Maid is discontinuing its frozen orange juice concentrate after eighty years.
One conspiracy theory in the wake of the Epstein files release has already been debunked by…the X account for Fortnite?
Enjoy your weekend!
— W.J.
⚡️ Today in Internet Culture
“Stop the fake outrage”: White House leans on baffling “Lion King” defense after Trump posts racist Obamas-as-monkeys video
The White House dismissed backlash after President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, calling criticism “fake outrage.”
The clip was posted to Trump‘s Truth Social account during Black History Month before being deleted, even as Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt waved off concerns and urged critics to “report on something that actually matters.”
“End of an era”: Minute Maid discontinues frozen juice concentrate after 80 years, and folks are oddly emotional about it
The Coca-Cola Company announced that Minute Maid will discontinue its frozen orange juice concentrate this year, ending an 80-year run that once defined postwar convenience.
The freezer-aisle staple, introduced in the 1940s as a cheaper, easier way to ship juice, will be phased out in early 2026 as the company exits the frozen can category altogether. Online, the news triggered everything from nostalgia and frustration to blunt reminders that consumer habits have moved on.
No, Jeffrey Epstein is not alive and grinding Fortnite from Tel Aviv. But here’s why people think he is
Internet conspiracy theorists are having a field day claiming that Jeffrey Epstein has been alive and well this whole time…and playing Fortnite from Tel Aviv.
The theory popped up after a fresh batch of Justice Department documents from the Epstein files dropped last Friday. In the documents were mentions of a YouTube account that Epstein used with the handle “littlestjeff1,” the same username as the Fortnite account.
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🔥 Hot on the Dot
This was the most-read story on the Daily Dot yesterday:
I'm sure Trump wasn't very happy that he had to do that!