Sarah Palin posts about meeting Malik Obama with a picture of her talking to Ben Carson

(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

published 21 October 2016

There is one Obama that Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, and their supporters can all find nice words about: Malik Obama, the estranged Trump-supporting half brother of the better-known Barack. And in a Facebook post Friday, Palin made as if to praise President Obama, writing, "It was nice to shake Obama's hand the other night and whisper a belated 'thank you' for the courage and love of country he shows in this most important time." Only then Palin "apologizes" halfway through to clarify "oh sorry … not THAT Obama — this one — Barack's brother Malik …" A real knee-slapper.

There is also a picture included in Palin's Facebook post. In it, Palin is not in fact meeting Malik Obama. She is not talking to Malik Obama. She is not even looking at Malik Obama, who is a ghostly out-of-focus blur in the far left of the frame, with his face turned away from the camera. Sarah Palin is talking to a very-in-focus, but otherwise basically completely irrelevant, Ben Carson.

"This pic shows Malik Obama and Dr. Ben Carson as we exited the debate's surreal hearing of the oft repeated, unrefuted, untruthful sound bites uttered on stage on behalf of the globalist agenda," Palin explains in her post. As Jezebel writes: "If you just look at the … screenshot, it appears that Palin is not only praising President Barack Obama, but she is also smiling at someone who is not Barack Obama, but who is Ben Carson." Which raises the question: Was Palin trying to dupe everyone into thinking Carson was Obama for her "trick?"

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And also, really, more to the point: Why isn't the picture just actually of her talking to Malik Obama?

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.