An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows a CNN tweet that refers to comments from the Dalai Lama as “white nationalist talking points.”

Verdict: False

There is no record of CNN publishing such a tweet. A CNN spokesperson confirmed the tweet is fabricated.

Fact Check:

The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet, according to the figure’s official website. He is believed to be the “manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet,” the website reports.

An image shared on Facebook appears to show a CNN tweet accusing the current Dalai Lama of using white nationalist talking points. “The Dalai Lama sparks controversy, after stating white nationalist talking points on immigration and nationhood, causing condemnation,” reads the alleged tweet. “In a rambling conversation, the elderly monk appeared to suggest that so-called, ‘white-countries’ had a right to expel non-white people.”

The image is digitally fabricated. The alleged tweet does not appear on CNN’s verified Twitter page or on online archives of the outlet’s Twitter page. There is also no reporting about the Dalai Lama using “white nationalist talking points” on CNN’s website. A CNN spokesperson confirmed the tweet was fabricated in an email to Check Your Fact. (RELATED: Did CNN Air A Chyron Stating Elon Musk Could ‘Threaten Free Speech On Twitter’?)

CNN did publish a story in 2019 titled, “The Dalai Lama just said some (more) controversial things about women and migrants.” The article recounts how in a 2019 interview with BBC News, the Dalai Lama said it is best to “keep Europe for Europeans” and joked that any potential female successor to him would need to be physically attractive.