Authorities suspect it may be a case of Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another, which was formerly known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

Critics of Donald Trump believe he may be using racist dogwhistles while discussing Black litigators and political opponents in the wake of his latest indictment. Mr Trump was indicted yet again, this time in Georgia. On Monday, Fulton County prosecutors accused him of trying to manipulate the 2020 presidential election results in the Peach State. He took to Truth Social to announce that a "large, complex, detailed but irrefutable REPORT" proving his election fraud claims in Georgia would be presented on 21 August. In addition to the grand announcement, he also dropped a weird noun that left some observers sceptical of its intended use. "There will be a complete EXONERATION!" Mr Trump wrote of his upcoming presser. "They never went after those that Rigged the Election. They only went after those that found to find the RIGGERS!." Whether or not Mr Trump intended to describe his political enemies using a word that is one letter away from being an exceptionally offensive slur is unclear. What is clear is that plenty of observers noted his use of the word. Arieh Kovler, a current affairs and politics writer, collected a sampling of responses from a group of Trump supporters who post anonymously at a Reddit-like forum. "I don't know if Trump deliberately uses 'RIGGERS!' as a dog-whistle, but his supporters hear it either way," he wrote. “Worth noting here that the ‘riggers’ as a racist codeword has been used for a while in MAGA circles.” Mr Kovler included a screenshot from the site showing one user who said "I love [Trump] so much" because "he just used the word RIGGERS!" In other posts, supporters made clear they were not discussing alleged election manipulators while using the word. Similar responses could be found on Twitter when searching about Mr Trump’s use of the word. Mr Trump making racist-adjacent remarks is hardly novel. During his presidency he reportedly questioned why the US would allow Haitians and African immigrants to cross the border, referring to their homes as "s***hole countries." His niece, Mary Trump, has stated publicly that she heard the former president use racial slurs growing up and claimed racism was normal for his family. And he has given special nicknames for his Black opponents — like calling New York Attorney General "peekaboo James," which may or may not be a reference to a racist insult aimed at Black people. He also called Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg an "animal" and a "criminal" who works for George Soros. He called both Ms James and Mr Bragg "racists" and extended that charge to the woman leading Georgia's case against him, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williams. Ms Williams is Black, and Mr Trump has baselessly accused her of having an affair with a "gang member" she was prosecuting. “They say there’s a young woman, a young racist in Atlanta. She’s a racist. And they say, I guess they say that she was after a certain gang and she ended up having an affair with the head of the gang or a gang member,” Mr Trump said in his remarks to a group of veterans on 8 August. “And this is the person that wants to indict me. She’s got a lot of problems.” In contrast, when referring to DOJ special counsel Jack Smith, the white litigator leading the federal government's case against Mr Trump, the former president refers to him as "psycho" and "unhinged." Mr Trump has denied all accusations of being racist. Read More MAGA conspiracy theorist Kari Lake rails against Trump indictment – with conspiracy about Epstein’s death How ‘gangster’ Trump could be destroyed by one explosive phone call Trump lashes out on Truth Social over Georgia election plot charges – and spells ‘indicted’ wrong Christie takes second place from DeSantis in New Hampshire: poll Watch live view of Georgia courthouse after Donald Trump’s indictment Kari Lake rails against Trump indictment – with conspiracy about Epstein’s death

Steve Bannon, once a senior adviser to Donald Trump, was confronted by a Ron DeSantis supporter who demanded to know when the far-right podcaster would pay back money he allegedly collected in a fraudulent fundraiser aimed at funding the construction of a southern border wall. The supporter, Chris Nelson, is a known right-wing provocateur who is vocal in his support of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's 2024 presidential run. He posted a video of himself approaching and confronting Mr Bannon on Sunday during the Turning Point Action conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to Newsweek. As Mr Nelson approaches Mr Bannon, he calls out to him and asks when he will give back the money he allegedly took for the failed "Build the Wall Fund." "Hey Steve Bannon! When are you going to get back that money you took from the Build the Wall Fund?" Mr Nelson asks. "When are you going to give that money back?" Mr Bannon claimed that "there's not one penny, dude." The former Trump adviser was charged in September 2022 with money laundering allegations tied to a GoFundMe campaign claiming donations would be used to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. The construction of a wall at the southern border — paid for by Mexico — was a key promise Mr Trump made during his 2016 presidential campaign. The wall was only partially built, and Mexico did not pay for any of its construction. Mr Bannon was also charged in a near-identical federal investigation, but Mr Trump pardoned him in January 2021 just before leaving office. Manhattan prosecutors brought state charges — which presidential pardons do not cover — against Mr Bannon in September 2022. That trial is expected to begin in May 2024. Mr Nelson also accused Mr Bannon of lying about Mr DeSantis, and said Andrew Brietbart — the founder of right-wing Breitbart News, which Mr Bannon took over after his death — would be embarrassed by his successor. "Andrew Breitbart would be rolling in his grave right now to see what you're doing," he said. "Why are you lying about Ron DeSantis? Aren't you concerned that Trump does not have any ground game to win and that he has no plan to do anything differently and that Ron DeSantis has gotten victory after victory with election integrity?" Before walking away from the confrontation, Mr Bannon said that Mr DeSantis only has "$3 million left," citing an NBC news report on the candidate's war chest. After his confrontation with Mr Bannon, Mr Nelson claims that security at the event was trying to toss him out because he is a DeSantis supporter. "Because if somebody's not in your little club, then you throw them out," Mr Nelson says. "You can't stand dissenting viewpoints." Mr Bannon spoke at the conference, telling the audience that Mr Trump and his GOP allies would face years of "political warfare." "We got a fight ahead of us," Mr Bannon said. "There's still the primary, the RNC and the donors are gonna try and [block] Trump, so we gotta get through that. The general election, and I don't have to believe Biden will be the nominee, I think they'll trade him out, but we've got nothing but a war in the general election, and then we gotta make sure they can't steal it. And by the way, that's the easy part. We've got six to eight years ahead of us of absolute political warfare." Read More Steve Bannon ordered to pay nearly $500K in unpaid legal bills Ex-Congressman suggests Hunter Biden alleged laptop data fabricated Trump says he would consider two of his Republican 2024 rivals as his running mates Steve Bannon ordered to pay nearly $500K in unpaid legal bills Former Trump chief of staff says ex-president is ‘scared s***less’ Steve Bannon’s trial in ‘We Build the Wall’ scheme set for May 2024

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