'Don Poorleone': Trump nickname trends on social media as ex-president faces bond deadline

From legal analysts to political strategists, social media erupted on Sunday with people eager to pin Donald Trump with a new nickname. Trump, who has long been considered the king of political nicknames, has previously dubbed President Joe Biden "Sleepy Joe" and then, ultimately, "Crooked Joe." Now, the internet would like to bestow a name upon the former president as he faces a crucial deadline to get a bond for hundreds of millions of dollars a court ordered him to pay for fraud. The name is Don "Poorleone."

The name appears to reference Trump's recent financial woes, as well as allegations that he has conducted himself like a mob boss. On X, formerly known as Twitter, the nickname had been floated in 2022 by various individuals. But it didn't catch fire until recently, March 21, when a user named @TheJackGreen used the nick name. It was used a couple more times before a now-viral post by Tim Hannan, @TimHannan, who said, "It would be a shame, it really would, if Trump’s new nickname Don Poorleone doesn’t stick."

A parody account of Special Counsel Jack Smith wrote, "I made an offer everyone refused" along with the nick name. Mike Madrid, who served as the Golden State's GOP political director before co-founding the group of current and former anti-Trump Republicans known as the Lincoln Project, said, "#DonPoorleone is starting to trend!" Similarly, Republicans Against Trump wrote, "#DonPoorleone is now trending on Twitter."

"Well done, all," said Allison Gill, a veteran and comedian better known as Mueller, She Wrote, along with a screenshot of #DonPoorleone" trending. The nickname has even found its way off social media, and onto a cable news show. "There is a reason why some people are calling Donald Trump, Don Poorleone right now," former acting solicitor general Neal Katyal said on MSNBC Sunday.

Link to tweet