The US election has finally come to a close, with Donald Trump projected to win against his opposition, Kamala Harris.
And one unlikely pundit is copping some flak for accurately predicting the result… it’s none other than Moo Deng.
The polls had predicted a closer result than what actually happened, with Trump taking a sizeable lead over Harris from early on.
However, Thailand’s famous pygmy hippopotamus, Moo Deng, appeared to know exactly which way it would go, having predicted the result hours before it happened.
Moo Deng, who lives at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in the Chon Buri province, was given two melon cakes by zoo workers – each with the name of Harris or Trump on it – and allowed to choose which one she gravitated to, in order to predict who would win.
The tiny hippo went straight for the one with Trump’s name on it, predicting that he would emerge victorious.
@duaraideekk ใครได้เป็นประธานาธิบดีอเมริกา อีก 48 ชั่วโมง รู้กัน.. เด้งขอบคุณที่เคยโหวตให้นะคะ แต่ด้วยภารกิจโชว์ตัว พรีเซนเตอร์สินค้า เกือบ 70 ราย ทำให้ตอนนี้ยุ่งมาก ไม่มีเวลาเลย.. จึงขอสละสิทธิ์ แล้วกัน โอกาส นี้เด้งขอทำนายทายเลือกให้ผู้ชนะ เป็นฝ่ายชาย ( ห้ามเดิมพัน เล่นการพนันเด็ดขาด เด้งถือศีล 5 จ๊ะ ) #หมูเด้ง #ลูกฮิปโปโปแคระ #ฮิปโป #น่ารัก #Moodeng #khaokheowzoo #Khaokheowopenzoo #PygmyHippopotamus #Hippo #สวนสัตว์เปิดเขาเขียว #ชลบุรี ♬ original sound – วัยร่าน
Now, some fans are claiming Moo Deng may have even rigged the election, sharing their hilarious takes online.
They tweeted: “The hippo was rigged,” and: “Moo was more genius than all polls lol.”
Others added: “Wow, Moo Deng was spot-on with the 2024 election prediction!”, and: “So, he was behind the victory of Trump?”
One joked: “BREAKING Moo Deng has been jailed for illegal voting and election interference.”
Moo Deng – whose name translates to ‘Bouncy Pig’ or ‘Bouncy Pork’, is an endangered species of pygmy hippopotamus, according to Fox News.
The species is mainly found in Liberia in West Africa, according to the Pygmy Hippo Foundation, and there are around 2000 remaining in the wild.
Moo Deng’s viral fame has been thanks to her adorable size, with pygmy hippos only getting to around half the height (0.7 meters) and a quarter of the weight of a normal hippo.
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Trump, 78, is now the first person to win two non-consecutive terms as president since the late 1800s.
After the Pennsylvania result was announced, Trump told his supporters in Florida: “It is now clear that we’ve achieved the most incredible political thing. Look what happened. Isn’t this crazy?
“I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president.”
Elon Musk also joined Trump to watch the election results come in through the night, with Trump even mentioning Musk in his victory speech.
Surrounded by close family and friends, Trump said: “Everybody up here is very special. We have a new star – a star is born, Elon [Musk].
“He is an amazing guy, we were sitting together tonight. He spent two weeks in Philadelphia and different parts of Pennsylvania campaigning. That’s why I love you, Elon.”
Later, Musk reiterated his optimism, posting on X: “The future is gonna be fantastic,” accompanied by a photoshopped image of himself in the Oval Office.
“Let that sink in,” he captioned the post, noting how Americans had given Trump “a crystal clear mandate for change.”
With Trump having exceeded the pivotal 270 electoral votes, he will be the 47th president.
He declared he had “made history” after being projected to win key battleground states like North Carolina, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.
“Every single day I will be fighting for you, with every single breath in my body. I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that children deserve,” Trump said.
“And that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age for America.”
Despite the Republicans not yet being officially declared the winners, Trump now sits just four electoral votes shy of victory.
