With the 2024 U.S. presidential election looming, the country stands at a critical crossroads where the choices made will determine the course of America’s future. The 2024 U.S. presidential election is the 60th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Voters will elect a president and vice president to serve four-year terms. 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 during a 2024 presidential campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania. There has been a lot of misinformation circulating in the wake of this tragedy. Here are some of the untruths being spread.

Misinformation 1

Claim: There is a viral accusation going around that The Simpsons, a popular television series, predicted Trump’s downfall.

Fact Check: After investigating, DFRAC discovered that the cartoon image of Trump lying in the coffin is fake and that this image does not appear in any episodes of The Simpsons.

We also found media reports from Wion News and Independent dated August 27, 2020 stating that the image is fake and that the earlier predictions of death on August 27, 2020 were a hoax. It stated that the date of August 27, chosen at random, was used by various TikTok users to troll their viewers.

Misinformation 2

Claim: Trump’s assassination attempt sent shockwaves across the country. Following this, a Pakistani handle took to X (formerly Twitter) and falsely claimed that the CIA had discovered shocking Indian intelligence links in this recent incident.

Factcheck: To investigate this claim, the DFRAC team has thoroughly investigated the latest media reports on the matter. No such information has come to light. Moreover, no updates have been released by the authorities of both countries to support the above claim.

Misinformation 3

Claim: Following the news of Trump’s attempted shooting, a video went viral on X (formerly Twitter) in which someone was shouting, “Slit the Republican throat.” The video allegedly featured 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, Trump’s assassin.

Fact Check: After close inspection, DFRAC team found the same video on the official X-handle of @sft_asu, posted in February 2020. The video was captioned: “CRAZY LEFTIST ON COLLEGE CAMPUS”. Further, Azcentral, MailOnline & Campus Reform also reported this news in February 2020. According to reports, the student organization Students for Trump at ASU posted a video on Twitter tonight, showing a man shouting in front of a table of students who were promoting Trump on the campus of ASU (Arizona State University).

Misinformation 4

Claim: On the social media platform X, a user with the username CccMan is seen sharing a photo of former President Donald Trump smiling happily, allegedly after his failed assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Factcheck: DFRAC team has checked the image in question and after investigation we have discovered that the circulating image of Trump smiling after the alleged incident appears inconsistent and is a digitally enhanced image. It is clear that there is an inconsistency between the reported events and the circulating image of Trump smiling. The actual image appears to be different from what is shared by the user.

Misinformation 5

Claim: Some social media users claim that Trump’s assassin wore a shirt with a “fascist symbol” depicting the emblem of the Ukrainian army.

Fact Check: The DFRAC team checked the image and discovered that the shirt has actually been identified as a Demolition Ranch t-shirt from a brand called Bunker Branding Co. Demolition Ranch is a popular YouTube channel that focuses on firearms and other related content. They sell merchandise including t-shirts with various designs and logos.

Misinformation 6

Claim: A claim that “Elon Musk changed the X like button to President Trump’s apparent gunshots” has gone viral.

Factcheck: DFRAC team determined that the claim is false as there are no media reports about the change in like buttons. Twitter and Elon Musk have not made any official announcements about it.

Misinformation 7

Claim: After Trump’s failed assassination, an image of his shooter has gone viral on social media platforms. Users claim that this shooter is an ANTIFA extremist named Mark Violets

Fact check: After investigating, the DFRAC team discovered that the image features Italian sports journalist 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 believed to be Trump’s shooter.

Fact Check: After investigating various media reports, the DFRAC team discovered 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 showing police officers carrying an injured person to safety. The injured person is believed to be Trump’s shooter and is presumed dead.

Fact Check: Upon fact checking, DFRAC discovered that the person being carried by the officers was a dead civilian who had been shot during the attempted assassination.

Misinformation 10

Claim: Much attention has been paid to the claim that the NYP article said the shooter who tried to kill Donald Trump was “a Chinese man.”

Fact Check: However, upon checking the facts, we discovered that the New York Post had published an article reporting that the shooter was “a Chinese man,” but now they have edited the article to report that the shooter was “a white man.”

Misinformation 11

Claim: An image of Trump’s Secret Servant agents laughing after he was shot in the ear has drawn widespread attention.

Fact Check: After careful inspection, the DFRAC team discovered that this photo had been digitally manipulated to put smiles on the faces of several Secret Service agents.

Misinformation 12

Claim: A photo of two snipers on the roof of Trump’s rally has gone viral. One of them told 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 him out.

Fact Check: When checking the facts, we found no media reports about the snipers that supported the claim.

Misinformation 13

Claim: An image showing 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 RECEIVED A RED FOLDER!!!”

Fact check: After investigating, the DFRAC team discovered that the image shared does not show Trump receiving a “red folder” before announcing a vice president. In fact, it is a photo of Trump leaving a courthouse after filing his candidacy declaration in New Hampshire.

Misinformation 14

Claim: A short clip of US President Joe Biden’s recent speech marking the 75th anniversary of NATO is being falsely shared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The claim is that Biden used a derogatory term and demeaned NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and his wife in his remarks.

Fact check: DFRAC team closely examined the viral short clip and found Biden said: “in conversation with the secretary’s wife and asked him to extend his employment. ‘Forgive me. You’ve put your plans on hold.'” In addition, according to the latest reports from CNN and Axios, Joe Biden gave a speech after awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg during the alliance’s summit. DFRAC’s fact check clearly shows that US President Joe Biden did not use a single derogatory term in his speech.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the false reports of Donald Trump’s assassination at a rally for the 2024 US presidential election highlight the dangers of disinformation in today’s digital age. These unsubstantiated claims not only spread panic and confusion, but also undermine the integrity of the democratic process. The rapid spread of such falsehoods underscores the urgent need for robust fact-checking mechanisms and media literacy among the public. As the election approaches, it is critical that individuals verify information from reliable sources and that social media platforms take proactive measures to counter the spread of fake news. Only through collective vigilance can we protect the truth and ensure a well-informed electorate.