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By Jordan King
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Jayme Franklin, CEO of a conservative lifestyle brand, has laughed off unfounded theories about why she had her hand on her stomach as she stood behind President Donald Trump during a White House announcement.
Responding to a viral post that joked she was nicknamed "The Zapper" and had a button on her stomach that she could press to wake Trump, Franklin wrote: "I’m just pregnant you weirdos."
Drake Franklin, Jayme's husband, also wrote on X: "I can also debunk the robot rumors - Jayme Franklin has no mute button."
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Videos garnering hundreds of thousands of views show Franklin standing near Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the Oval Office on Monday, as Trump announced changes to federal childhood vaccination recommendations.
Franklin, founder of The Conservateur, later said in a post on X that she was "honored" to have been at the White House and praised Trump's move, saying: "Parents deserve the freedom to make informed decisions" about their children’s health."
Franklin Goes Viral
Franklin drew widespread attention on social media Tuesday as clips of the Oval Office announcement circulated online, with users scrutinizing her enthusiastic nodding, hand placement and reason for standing behind Trump.
Many were asking who she is while others commented on her “nodding non-stop” while some pedaled more outlandish theories and jokes, including her being called a “cyborg” and a “strangely rigid fembot.”
Multiple users online said they thought Trump looked to be falling asleep at several points, leading to the theory that Franklin was there to keep him awake.
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The day before, she had posted her support for Trump’s order on vaccines, saying in a post on X: “As a mom, I care deeply about the health of our nation, and especially the well-being of our children. Parents deserve the freedom to make informed decisions about their children’s health in consultation with their pediatricians, without government pressure or coercion.
“Parents know their children best. They should be empowered with transparent information, sound science, and the freedom to make the choices they believe are right for their families.”
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Who Is Jayme Franklin?
Franklin graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2020. She has said her experience as a conservative student there helped inspire her to create media aimed at young right-leaning women.
Her earlier career included work in Republican politics and conservative media. Franklin served as a coalitions coordinator for Trump’s 2020 campaign and as director of correspondence during his first administration
Franklin later worked at Fox News as an associate editor and as an administrative and production assistant, and has appeared on the network as a guest commentator.
She also co-hosts Sincerely American, a podcast covering politics, popular culture, faith, fashion and family from a conservative perspective. Franklin lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Drake Franklin, and their daughter, Vivienne, according to her biography.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Tony Phillips.
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