Social media is probably taken far too seriously. But every now and then, some tidbits make it worth keeping an eye on, for example, X, because occasionally, one will find a strand of hay in that enormous stack of needles. And then, on other occasions, you'll run across something that makes you wonder just what the poster was thinking - or what they weren't thinking.
Case in point: Over the weekend, several European leaders took to X to show their support for Ukraine and its tracksuited president. Their posts were, shall we say, rather obviously coordinated. OK, they were identical.
A handful of European leaders are coming under the microscope of critics on social media for issuing pro-Ukraine messages with the exact same wording following Ukraine President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy's fiery meeting with President Donald Trump on Friday.
"Your dignity honours the bravery of the Ukrainian people. Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, dear President @ZelenskyyUa. We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace," read verbatim social media posts from at least five different European leaders since Friday.
The president of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis, European Parliament member Manfred Weber, and European Council President António Costa all posted the same exact social media message on Friday, a review of X shows.
Here, see the posts in question:
Your dignity honours the bravery of the Ukrainian people.
— Roberta Metsola (@EP_President) February 28, 2025
Be strong, be brave, be fearless.
You are never alone, dear President @ZelenskyyUa.
We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace.
Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 28, 2025
Be strong, be brave, be fearless.
You are never alone, dear President @ZelenskyyUa.
We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace.
Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people.
— Valdis Dombrovskis (@VDombrovskis) February 28, 2025
Be strong, be brave, be fearless.
You are never alone, dear President @ZelenskyyUa.
We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace.
Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people.
— Manfred Weber (@ManfredWeber) February 28, 2025
Be strong, be brave, be fearless.
You are never alone, dear President @ZelenskyyUa.
We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace.
Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people.
— António Costa (@eucopresident) February 28, 2025
Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, dear President @ZelenskyyUa.
We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace.
The people who engaged in this embarrassment: Roberta Metsola is the President of the European Parliament. Ursula von der Leyen is the President of the European Commission. Valdis Dombrovskis is the Executive Vice President of something called the European Commission for An Economy that Works for People and is also the European Commissioner for Trade. Manfred Weber is the President of the European People's Party. And António Costa is the President of the European Council.
And, if their social media postings are to be believed, they are evidently androids. Either that or their social media staffers are androids. There have to be androids involved in this somewhere.
So, these European bureaucrats want to show their support for Ukraine. That's fine. But couldn't they have found a way to do it that wasn't so obviously coordinated - a way that was a little less embarrassing? Couldn't each of these people take five minutes to write something thoughtful or at least original? How hard could it be?
See Related: Zelensky Takes a Shot at Lindsey Graham Because He's Apparently Lost His Mind
Which begs another question - who elected these people? Look at their titles: president of this, vice president of that... How do these people land in these positions?
It's no wonder that modern-day Europe has so much trouble getting anything done.
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