Tehran drew attention by sharing a viral video of an albino buffalo in Bangladesh that many say resembles former US President Donald Trump. The official Iran-in-Russia account on X posted a short mocking message — ‘Poor thing!’ — and cited reports that the animal had lost its appetite after becoming an internet sensation.
The clip included a segment from Russian state broadcaster RT, which noted that crowds had been flocking to see the unusual bovine. The animal, kept at Rabeya Agro Farm in Narayanganj district near Dhaka, weighs about 700 kg and is known for its pale, golden-pink coat and a distinctive tuft of hair that prompted comparisons to Trump. Locals and online viewers pointed to similarities in facial structure and hairstyle, and one onlooker told local media that the pictures made the animal look ‘exactly like Donald Trump.’
The buffalo, nicknamed ‘Donald Trump’ by the farm owner’s family, was set to be sacrificed for Eid al-Adha. Its caretaker, Ziauddin Mridha, said large numbers of people have visited the farm daily to take photographs since the animal gained viral attention.
Owner Zia Uddin Mairda said he bought the buffalo about ten months earlier from Rajshahi City Haat and that his younger brother gave it the nickname affectionately. ‘This is just a symbolic name… we gave it this name out of affection and love,’ he told news agency ANI, adding that animals and humans cannot truly be equated.
The animal was sold on a live-weight basis at 550 Taka per kilogram, a price that put the total near 385,000 Taka. A trader named Mohammad Shoron from the Jinjira (Rasulpur) area purchased the buffalo for the traditional Qurbani sacrifice, but ANI reported that Shoron later declined to show the animal, saying delivery had not yet been completed and suggesting the buyer was keeping it hidden to avoid complications from its fame.
The social-media jibe came against a backdrop of heightened US–Iran tensions. In late February, the US and Israel launched strikes on Iranian targets, triggering weeks of drone and missile exchanges before a fragile truce in April. Diplomatic relations have remained strained, with sharp public rhetoric and online sparring from both sides.
According to reporting by Axios, President Trump convened senior aides, including Vice President JD Vance, Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, to discuss options that could include further military strikes if talks with Iran falter. Regional mediation efforts were also underway: Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir visited Tehran and a Qatari envoy traveled to Iran in apparent bids to defuse tensions. During this period, Trump altered his schedule and returned early to Washington, skipping his son’s wedding and citing government responsibilities.
The buffalo story, part light-hearted mockery and part commercial transaction, briefly connected a local agricultural scene in Bangladesh with global political tensions, illustrating how an improbable viral image can be woven into wider geopolitical narratives.
