Veteran journalist Dan Rather created a significant stir online after sharing a pointed Turkish proverb on Facebook seemingly aimed at President Donald Trump. Rather posted the short phrase: “When a clown moves into a palace he doesn’t become a king, the palace instead becomes a circus,” resulting in nearly a million likes and over 60,000 comments.
While Rather did not explicitly name Trump in the original post, he later shared in the comments one of his own articles concerning Trump’s recent policies on international tariffs and the economy, reinforcing the implication behind his use of the proverb. Many Facebook users applauded the post, quickly linking its imagery to Trump’s controversial presidency, with comments ranging from humor to acknowledgment of genuine alarm.
Critics noted how Trump’s presidency reshaped the image of the White House to reflect his personal style and choices. Throughout his tenure, the former reality TV host made several unorthodox changes—opting for opulent gold furnishings, promoting Tesla vehicles at the White House for Elon Musk, and introducing a controversial program that effectively offered U.S. citizenship at a steep price of $5 million.
Interestingly, although Rather described the proverb as Turkish, historians suggest it actually originates with the Circassian people, Sunni Muslims from the northwestern Caucasus region, deeming its Turkish attribution somewhat misleading. Nevertheless, the proverb previously garnered attention in February when NBA superstar LeBron James featured it in an Instagram post, similarly inspiring widespread reactions.
This is hardly the first time Rather has openly criticized American political leaders. Following his contentious departure from CBS News in 2006 over reporting controversies related to then-President George W. Bush’s National Guard service, Rather spent later years voicing political commentary on platforms such as Facebook and Substack, building a substantial social media following through his candid analyses of contemporary politics and events.
