Ahead of the 2024 US Presidential elections, Former president and now Candidate Donald Trump’s visit to hurricane-ravaged Valdosta, Georgia is hitting the headlines in mainstream media. Amid this, a video showing Republican candidate Trump distributing supplies amid a huge crowd is making rounds on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) with the claim that Trump is going to hurricane-ravaged Valdosta, Georgia to distribute relief supplies
Posting this video on X, a user named Mike Sington wrote: “Trump going to hurricane-ravaged Valdosta, Georgia to distribute relief supplies”
Fact-Check
The DFRAC team fact-checked the above-shared video. A reverse-image search of the keyframes from the above-shared video led us to YouTube. We found the extended version of this video on the YouTube accounts of The Guardian and Washington Post. The videos were uploaded in October 2017.
Along with the video, it was stated that the US president and first lady visited a disaster relief distribution centre at Calvary Chapel outside San Juan, Puerto Rico where Trump threw paper towels into the crowd.
Moreover, a report by CNN dated October 3, 2017, mentioned similar facts regarding the above-shared video. According to the report, while surveying the damage in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, President Donald Trump visited with survivors and helped distribute supplies—at one point throwing paper towels into the crowd.
Upon entering a multipurpose room at the Calvary Chapel in the Guaynabo neighborhood of the island, Trump was met with cheers and supportive signs welcoming his presence.
Conclusion
DFRAC’s fact-check reveals that the above-shared video has been misleadingly shared on X. It originally dates back to 2017 and shows the former US President distributing paper towels at a disaster relief distribution centre in Calvary Chapel, Puerto Rico.
Analysis: Misleading