Washington:

You might argue it’s a cruel joke no matter what side of American politics you fall on: Donald Trump sent a message to supporters Monday that appeared to announce he was suspending his reelection campaign, but it turned out to be an April Fools’ fundraising bid.

The former Republican president, seeking to evict his Democrat rival Joe Biden from the White House in November’s vote, sent the abrupt message stating “I’m suspending my campaign” to supporters by email and text, accompanied by a link.

But clicking on it took users to a site inviting them to donate money to his campaign.

“Did you really think I’d suspend my campaign? Happy April Fools Day!” he wrote in capital letters.

The Biden team quickly clapped back with a jibe at Trump’s allegedly lazy schedule.

“Trump hasn’t campaigned in 16 days. So not sure what the difference is,” said Biden campaign staffer Ammar Moussa.

For years, US political candidates have courted small donors, inundating supporters with text messages, emails, and phone calls — sometimes more than a dozen a day — appealing for them to contribute financially to the cause.

They can rake in millions of dollars by doing so, a key source of cash in a country where a presidential run can cost billions of dollars.

But the tsunami of requests forces candidates to be increasingly creative to stand out from the crowd.

Trump regularly airs his legal woes, accusing the Biden administration of seeking to jail him, though he offers no evidence for his claims.

For now, the Biden campaign is ahead in the fundraising race — an advantage it is savoring by referring to Trump, a fan of cruel nicknames, as “Broke Don.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Billionaire Elon Musk announced that he has joined Disney as Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer. He took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “Excited to join @Disney as their Chief DEI Officer. Can’t wait to work with Bob Iger & Kathleen Kennedy to make their content MORE woke! Even the linguini.” However, there has been no comment from the company and several internet users are convinced that the Tesla Chief’s post is an April Fool’s prank.

Excited to join @Disney as their Chief DEI Officer.

Can’t wait to work with Bob Iger & Kathleen Kennedy to make their content MORE woke!

Even the linguini.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 1, 2024

Since being shared, it has amassed over six million views and a lot of reactions from social media users.

“You joining as “CWO – Chief Woke Officer” ?” said a user.

“1st April,” wrote a person.

Another user wrote alongside laughing emojis, “this would save Disney LOL!”

A user added, “I feel like Elon’s attempted joke could kill the tradition of April Fools Day.”

“Obviously this is an April Fools’ but could Star Wars get any worse with this twonk on board,” added a user.

“Literally was about to go to bed and I honestly thought he was serious. I always fall for April fools lol,” commented a person.

Notably, Elon Musk demanded the firing of Disney CEO Bob Iger in response to Disney’s decision to pull advertisements from his social media platform, X, CNN reported in December. Mr Musk, known for using his influential platform to confront critics, declared that Iger should be immediately ousted from his role, stating, “He should be fired immediately. Walt Disney is turning in his grave over what Bob has done to his company.”

In February, Mr Musk backed actor Gina Carano when she sued Walt Disney for wrongful termination from the Star Wars series “The Mandalorian”. Ms Carano argued in the suit that she was fired in 2021 for voicing conservative opinions on social media platforms including X. She also claimed sex discrimination, arguing that male stars who voiced opinions did not suffer any consequences. Mr Musk, who hurled an expletive at Disney CEO last year when the company pulled advertising from X, said that he would fund legal action by users who faced retaliation from employers for comments on the platform.