Satire isn't exactly "fake news [1]" since it doesn't purport to be fact, but it's not exactly "real news," either. The White House evidently did not read past the headline of a satirical article in The Washington Post because it cited the story as a glowing review of Donald Trump's budget proposal [2].
Here's the White House email highlighting satirical WaPo article about Trump's budget... pic.twitter.com/pokds7LTo1 [3]
— Dave Sloan (@DaveASloan) March 17, 2017 [4]
On March 17, the White House sent out its daily briefing of Trump's activities along with news reports about the day's agenda. Somewhat unsurprisingly, one of the articles the White House featured was titled "Trump's budget makes perfect sense and will fix America, and I will tell you why" [5] and actually mocked the president's plan.
Of course, Alexandra Petri's story could seem like a positive endorsement if you didn't read past the headline. After one paragraph, it's apparent that's not the case.
The second paragraph of this satirical masterpiece is not only hilarious, but it's quite quite obviously a joke. "This budget will make America a lean, mean fighting machine with bulging, rippling muscles and not an ounce of fat. America has been weak and soft for too long," wrote Petri. "BUT HOW WILL I SURVIVE ON THIS BUDGET? you may be wondering. I AM A HUMAN CHILD, NOT A COSTLY FIGHTER JET. You may not survive, but that is because you are SOFT and WEAK, something this budget is designed to eliminate."
Petri's argument is essentially a tongue-in-cheek criticism of agencies Trump has proposed to cut: within each point, she's actually supplying a reason for funding. For example, her "take" on defunding on the Chemical Safety Board? "Give us CHEMICAL DANGER, which sounds way more metal," Petri wrote.
The White House has since removed The Post's story [7] from it's newsletter, but the internet always has receipts.