With the 2024 US presidential election on the horizon, the nation stands at a pivotal crossroads, where the choices made will shape the trajectory of America’s future. The 2024 United States presidential election will be the 60th quadrennial presidential election, set to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Voters will elect a president and vice president for a term of four years. Both Democratic Party member Joe Biden and Republican Party member Donald Trump are actively participating in rallies. On July 13, 2024, former U.S. president Donald Trump was shot in the upper part of his right ear at a campaign rally for 2024 presidential elections near Butler, Pennsylvania. There is a lot of false information circulating after this tragedy. Here are some falsehoods that are being spread.
Misinformation 1
Claim: A viral allegation claims that The Simpsons, a popular television show, foresaw Trump’s demise.
Fact-Check: On investigation, DFRAC discovered that the cartoon image of Trump lying in the coffin is fake, and no such image appeared in any of the episodes of The Simpsons.
We also found media reports by Wion News and Independent dated 27 August 2020 mentioning that the image is fake & the previous predictions of death on August 27, 2020, were also found to be a hoax stating that the date of August 27, chosen randomly, was used by various TikTok users to troll their viewers.
Misinformation 2
Claim: Trump’s assassination attempt sent shockwaves throughout the country. After this, a pak-based handle took to X(formerly Twitter) and falsely claimed that the CIA uncovered shocking Indian Intelligence links in this recent incident.
Fact-Check: To investigate this claim, DFRAC team thoroughly examined the latest media reports in this regard. No such information has come to light. Moreover, no updates have been released from the authorities of both countries in support of the above claim.
Misinformation 3
Claim: After the news of Trump’s shooting attempt, a video showing an individual screaming “Slash Republican throats’ is going viral on X(formerly Twitter) with the false claims that it shows Trump’s assassin, the 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Fact-Check: After closely inspecting, the DFRAC team found the same video on the official X handle of @sft_asu posted in Feb 2020. The video’s caption read: “CRAZY LEFTIST ON COLLEGE CAMPUS”. Further, Azcentral, MailOnline & Campus Reform also reported this news in Feb 2020. As per reports, the student organization, Students for Trump at ASU posted a video on Twitter this evening, which shows a man screaming in front of a table of the students who promoted Trump on the ASU (Arizona State University) campus.
Misinformation 4
Claim: On social media platform X a handle with the username CccMan can be seen sharing an image of Former President Donald Trump smiling with a happy expression, purportedly after his failed assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally.
Fact-Check: DFRAC’s team fact checked the image in question and after investigating we found the circulating image of Trump smiling after the alleged incident appears inconsistent and is a digitally altered image. It is clear that there is an inconsistency between the reported events and the circulating image of a smiling Trump. The actual image appears to be different from what is being shared by the user.
Misinformation 5
Claim: Some social media users claim that Trump’s assassin wore a shirt with a “fascist symbol” that represents the Ukraine army emblem.
Fact-Check: DFRAC’s team fact checked the image and found that the shirt is actually identified as a Demolition Ranch t-shirt from a brand named, Bunker Branding Co. Demolition Ranch is a popular YouTube channel focused on firearms and other related content. They sell merchandise, including t-shirts that feature various designs and logos.
Misinformation 6
Claim: A claim stating that “Elon Musk has changed the like button of X for President Trump apparent gunshots” has gone viral.
Fact-Check: DFRAC team determined that the claim is false since there are no media reports regarding the change in like buttons. Twitter and Elon Musk have not made any official announcements regarding it.
Misinformation 7
Claim: Following Trump’s failed assassination, an image of his shooter has gone viral on social media platforms. Users are claiming that this shooter is an ANTIFA extremist named Mark Violets
Fact-Check: On investigation, DFRAC team discovered that the image features an Italian sports writer and blogger Marco Violi, who runs a YouTube channel dedicated to the football team AS Roma. Violi himself also posted a statement on his Instagram account in which he “categorically denies any involvement in the situation”.
Misinformation 8
Claim: The person in the video is claimed to be Trump’s shooter.
Fact-Check: On investigating various media reports, DFRAC team found that Thomas Matthew Crooks, Trump’s shooter and the man in the video are two different people.
Misinformation 9
Claim: A video has gone viral showcasing police officials carrying an injured person to safety. The injured person is claimed to be Trump’s shooter and is believed to be dead.
Fact-Check: On fact checking, DFRAC found that the person who was being carried by the officials was a dead civilian who got shot during the assassination attempt.
Misinformation 10
Claim: A claim has gained widespread attention stating that according to NYP’s article the shooter who attempted to kill Donald Trump was “a Chinese man”.
Fact-Check: However, on fact checking we found that the New York Post published an article in which it reported that the shooter was “a Chinese man” but now they have edited the article and reported that the shooter was a “a white man”.
Misinformation 11
Claim: An image of Trump’s Secret Servant agents smiling after he got shot in his ear has gained widespread attention.
Fact-Check: After closely inspecting, DFRAC team found that this photo has been digitally manipulated to add smiles to the faces of several Secret Service agents.
Misinformation 12
Claim: A picture of two snipers on the roof at Trump’s rally has gone viral. One of them has informed the public that he had the assassin in his sights for at least 3 minutes, but the head of the Secret Service refused to give the order to take out the perpetrator.
Fact-Check: On fact checking, we found no media reports of the snipers to support the claim.
Misinformation 13
Claim: An image depicting Donald Trump holding a red folder was shared by multiple users on X, with the caption: “ALERT: JUST MINUTES BEFORE ANNOUNCING HIS VP, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS RECEIVED A RED FOLDER !!!”
Fact-Check: On investigation, DFRAC team found that the image shared does not show Trump receiving a “red folder” before announcing a vice president. In reality, this is a picture of Trump leaving a courthouse after filing his declaration of candidacy in New Hampshire.
Misinformation 14
Claim: A short clip from US President Joe Biden’s recent speech on the 75th Anniversary of NATO is being falsely shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) with the claim that he used a derogatory term and humiliated the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and his wife in his remarks.
Fact-Check: DFRAC team closely inspected the viral short clip and found that Biden said, “talking to the Secretary’s wife and asked him to extend his service. “Forgive me. You put your plans on hold”. In addition to this, according to the latest reports by CNN and Axios, Joe Biden delivered remarks in the wake of awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg at the alliance’s summit. It is clear from DFRAC’s fact-check that US President Joe Biden did not use any derogatory term in his speech.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the false reports about Donald Trump’s assassination during a rally for the 2024 US presidential elections underscore the dangers of misinformation in today’s digital age. These unfounded claims not only spread panic and confusion but also undermine the integrity of the democratic process. The rapid dissemination of such falsehoods highlights the critical need for robust fact-checking mechanisms and media literacy among the public. As we move closer to the elections, it is imperative for individuals to verify information from credible sources and for social media platforms to take proactive measures in curbing the spread of fake news. Only through collective vigilance we can safeguard the truth and ensure a well-informed electorate.
