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Trump & 'transgender mice,' alpaca farming and Facebook gray boxes

Plus: No evidence Ukraine sold US weapons to Mexican cartels, militant groups

Author

Izz LaMagdeleine
March 08, 2025

SATURDAY EDITION

Snopes Debunker

A white man wearing a dark suit holds a fist next to an image of a mouse.

Analyzing claim Trump confused 'transgenic mice' with 'transgender mice' in address to Congress

Following President Donald Trump's address to Congress on Tuesday, a rumor spread online that he misspoke when he said the government used taxpayer money to fund research on "making mice transgender."

Whether Trump actually mixed up "transgenic" and "transgender" is impossible to determine without direct confirmation from the administration itself. However, based on the evidence, it appears more likely that the Trump administration either parroted claims made elsewhere, misinterpreted complex scientific data or simply chose to misrepresent it. Reporter Joey Esposito has the details.

Republicans claim government spent millions on 'transgender mice.' Here's the truth

The conservative-led nonprofit White Coat Waste claims the government spent $250 million on "transgender animal experiments."

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Snopes has been busy fact-checking political claims, including the two regarding “transgender mice” above. We need your help to keep doing this type of work. By building our membership, we will be able to continue cutting straight to the facts on any subject our readers are interested in. We appreciate any support you can give.

A Black boy is held up a Black man. He is surrounded by several other people who is clapping. A white man smiles at the boy.

Breaking down whether Democrats didn't stand and clap for child battling cancer at Trump speech

Trump brought attention to 13-year-old DJ Daniel during his speech to Congress.

Three people wearing red outfits look at an alpaca. The alpaca lies on the ground and is being held down by two pieces of rope around its legs and neck.

DOGE said it canceled a nearly $1M grant for alpaca farming in Peru. Here's what we know

The Inter-American Foundation supported a project for alpaca farmers in Peru in 2023 — but the grant was smaller than the one DOGE said it canceled.

A group of screenshots showing a transparent gray box superimposed on top of a user's Facebook feed when attempting to leave a comment.

The gray box comment issue on Facebook, explained

In early March, social media users noticed gray boxes started appearing when leaving a Facebook comment using an Apple device.

Staff Pick

Men wearing head-to-toe camo clothing, one of whom is looking at a black machine gun. A green box with a plastic bag that presumably holds guns is next to him.

No evidence Ukraine sold US weapons to Mexican cartels, militant groups

Russian propaganda has claimed Finnish gangsters, French rioters, Nigerian fighters and Mexican cartels received weapons from Ukraine.