US politicians uses photos of Indian warships to greet US Navy on 251st anniversary
Several US politicians and officials inadvertently used images of Indian and Russian warships while attempting to celebrate the US Navy's 251st anniversary on social media. The errors were widely flagged by journalists and social media users, highlighting a lack of vetting in official communications.
Why it matters
These incidents demonstrate the risks of performative social media management and the potential for diplomatic embarrassment when official accounts fail to verify visual content.
In repeat goof-ups, several prominent US lawmakers and a state governor have inadvertently used images of warships of India and American arch-rival Russia in a rush to greet the US Navy on its 251st anniversary.Georgia Governor Republican Brian P Kemp marked the US Navy’s founding day with a post on X: “From the early days of our nation’s founding, the Navy has stood watch over our country and defended freedom across the seas. On its birthday, we salute the sailors whose service, sacrifice, and courage carry that legacy forward.” But along with his greeting, Kemp used an old image of Indian Navy warships sailing in a line to post his message.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in