A video showing a man stepping onto a stage and slapping the President of the United States of America (USA) Donald Trump while he speaks to an audience, has gone viral on social media.
Some context: The video praising the alleged attack, became viral alongside Trump’s decision to levy substantial tariffs on more than 75 nations (which the White House has now suspended for 90 days), excluding China, amidst worldwide opposition.
(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)
Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false as this video is edited to add the man slapping Trump.
The original video dates back to 2016 when Trump spoke at a rally in Dayton, Ohio. At the time, the secret service agents encircled Trump when a man attempted to rush the stage.
What we found: We noticed the text on the podium stated, “Dayton, Ohio,” along with the phrase, “Make America Great Again,” suggesting that the footage was from Trump's presidential campaigns of 2016 or 2024.
We then ran a relevant keyword search and found a video report by CBS News, which noted, "Watch: Secret Service run to Trump as protester rushes stage."
The description also said, "Secret Service agents rushed to protect Donald Trump Saturday as a protester at his Vandalia, OH rally tried to climb on stage. Trump said he was 'ready' to take him on but preferred to have security handle the disruption." (sic.)
We then found a report by ABC News from March 2016, which noted that a man attempted to rush the stage while Trump was speaking. Secret Service agents intervened, and the individual, Thomas Dimassimo, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and inducing panic.
An image of the protestor is added in the report.
Nowhere did we spot the alleged attacker in the viral clip in any of the news reports, which is indicative that the video had been digitally altered to add the man in Trump's video.
Additionally, upon closely looking at the video, we noticed a very slight movement in Trump's head when the man allegedly hit him.
Conclusion: An edited video has gone viral to falsely claim that Trump was hit by a protestor at a recent rally.
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