President Donald Trump posted a mysterious message on his Truth Social account on Sunday that left people puzzled, at least for a little while.
In the midst of a posting spree in which he attacked the media, blamed former President Joe Biden for Russia’s war on Ukraine, and defended himself after last week’s seemingly unproductive meeting with Vladimir Putin, the president posted a message with just four letters: “Bela.”
Many observers wondered if this was the 2025 version of “covfefe,” a message he posted on X ― then called Twitter ― that quickly became a meme in 2017.
“Despite the constant negative press covfefe,” he wrote at the time in a post that was never explained and eventually deleted.
The “Bela” message came one day after the anniversary of the Aug. 16, 1956, death of screen icon Bela Lugosi, best known for his portrayal of Dracula in the 1931 film of the same name.
As a result, a number of people responded with images of Lugosi as Dracula.
But Trump was not paying tribute to Lugosi, nor trying to create another “covfefe” moment, but instead probably referring to the country of Belarus in a message likely posted accidentally before it was completed.
While the president never deleted the “Bela” post, he did add a follow-up about 30 minutes later, amplifying a message from a fan about the release of 16 prisoners in Belarus and discussions taking place over the release of 1,300 more.
Then, he reposted a flurry of memes about himself.
But it was the initial “Bela” message that had everyone talking on social media: