Staff Reports
In a spectacular debacle that could only be described as the fact-checking equivalent of a fumbled handoff, CNN took a swing at President Trump’s recent remarks on Capitol Hill and ended up flat on their faces. The president’s speech contained a zinger that poked fun at the Biden administration’s spending habits, particularly the claim of $8 million funneled toward research to “make mice transgender.” What followed was a desperate attempt by CNN to dismiss the president’s assertion, but as it turned out, they were woefully unprepared.
When President Trump humorously asserted that taxpayers were financing the transformation of mice’s gender identities, the room erupted in laughter. Reporters, sensing blood in the water, immediately hit back with their typical overzealous fact-checking. They aimed their sights on three studies identified by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, with CNN’s Deidre McPhillips leading the charge. The analysis attempted to dismiss the president’s claims by outlining studies that, as per CNN, had nothing to do with gender-nonconforming rodents.
Specifically, one grant for $299,940 from the National Cancer Institute dealt with breast cancer rates related to testosterone exposure in mice, while two grants totaling $455,120 focused on HIV vaccine responses in hormone-treated mice. CNN’s conclusion? Trump was spinning a yarn. However, the White House was quick to respond by bringing out the big guns—real data. They unveiled a list of six NIH studies, totaling $8.2 million, that demonstrated the federal government’s investment in hormone treatments affecting mice, effectively shutting down CNN’s extravagant claims.
The White House made it abundantly clear that Trump’s assertion wasn’t as outlandish as CNN wanted it to be. Their statement detailed how the president’s quip highlighted a genuine issue: A whopping amount of taxpayer dollars spent on dubious research. It even included a humorous jab at CNN’s struggles with basic fact-checking, suggesting that the network was more about serving up slanted narratives than delivering the truth.
NEW: Trump Vindicated After CNN’s ‘Fact-Check’ Goes Down In Flames https://t.co/16xDzKJKhk
— Rightwingmadman (@Rightwingmadman) March 6, 2025
Among the mind-boggling grants was $455,000 allocated to study “gender-affirming hormone therapy on HIV-vaccine induced immune responses,” alongside several other eyebrow-raising investments. From exploring the reproductive consequences of hormone therapy to understanding its effects on mouse microbiomes, the absurdity of using the phrase “making mice transgender” suddenly seemed less bizarre and more like a justified concern in a world where even mice must go through the “gender-affirming” process.
In the end, CNN’s scrappy attempt to dismiss Trump’s comments turned into a spectacular self-own, as they were forced to admit that context was severely lacking in their initial claims. What began as a bold assertion of fact-checking turned into a grand illustration of why it’s best not to challenge a seasoned debater like Trump without solid foundations. After all, when science meets politics, and the facts get tangled, it’s always good to check who is actually handing out the receipts.
