Fake Forrest Frank Account Fools Thousands with Donald Trump Posts

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A fake Forrest Frank social media account offering commentary on Donald Trump and this week’s America Reads the Bible event has fooled thousands and proven – once again – that not everything that appears real online is legitimate.

The fake X/Twitter account has existed since June 2024 but drew renewed attention this week when it posted a video of Trump reading a passage from 2 Chronicles during America Reads the Bible alongside commentary declaring, “This is the fulfillment of the Gospel of our Lord God.”

The post received nearly 100,000 views on X and was later cited by faith-focused accounts on X and other platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, drawing responses from fans who believed the Dove Award-winning Forrest Frank had spoken out.

The account followed with several other videos of Trump speaking on matters of faith.

“Thank you for sticking firm to your convictions,” one person wrote, applauding the post.

“The absolute best advice I would say is stay in your lane,” a critical post read.

But despite appearing legitimate – with a “Child of God” tour graphic and a photo of Frank in the bio – the account is fake. In fact, Frank does not even have an X account – but instead posts most of his thoughts on Instagram and TikTok. A Frank spokesperson told ChurchLeaders that his team is working to get the fake account removed.

The fake account has nearly 40,000 followers.

Such fake accounts have grown since Elon Musk bought Twitter and changed how the platform’s once-coveted blue check system works. Before Musk’s takeover, Twitter’s blue checks were generally reserved for notable public figures, journalists, brands, and organizations whose identities had been reviewed by the company, making the badge a sign of authenticity.

After Musk acquired the platform in 2022, he shifted verification to a paid subscription model, allowing users to obtain a blue checkmark if they paid and met basic eligibility rules.

The fake Forrest Frank account, for example, included a blue check. The symbol no longer automatically signals that an account belongs to a celebrity or public figure, a change critics say has made impersonation and confusion more common.

Even for veteran users of social media, it can be difficult to know what is real and what is fake. Experts in the field suggest that a quick look at an account’s username, posting history, and links to other official platforms can often provide clues about whether it is authentic. The only obvious giveaway on the Frank account, for example, was that the username was misspelled and included only one “r” for his first name.

Meanwhile, posts featuring surprising quotes or controversial statements are also worth double-checking against a person’s known accounts before being taken at face value, experts say. The fake Frank quote about Trump, for example, was circulating on Instagram on Thursday – drawing plenty of discussion among fans who believed it was real.

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Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Joe Raedle/Staff

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

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