Donald Trump stands next to a helmet and firefighter’s jacket that belonged to Corey Comperatore, who was fatally shot at a rally where Trump survived an assassination attempt, onstage at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 18, 2024 ( AFP / Jim WATSON)

Misleading posts claim RNC misspelled slain fire chief's name on jacket

During his speech accepting the Republican Party nomination for president, Donald Trump honored Corey Comperatore, a firefighter killed as a man opened fire on the former president's July 13, 2024 rally. Critics of the Republican party claimed officials misspelled the man's name as "Compertore" on a jacket displayed on stage, but the error was not introduced by convention planners -- the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company said the uniform had carried an inaccurate spelling of the name for years.

"That magat firefighter Corey Comperatore died, only to become a prop at the #rnc…and they couldn't even be bothered to spell the man's name correctly," says a July 18, 2024 post on X.

Similar claims have circulated elsewhere on X, Facebook, Threads and TikTok.

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Screenshot from X taken July 22, 2024

Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire on Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania and killed Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter and father of two, who died shielding his family from the gunshots. Two other audience members, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were also injured, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

On the final night of the Republican National Convention, Trump made a 90-minute speech accepting the party's presidential nomination next to Comperatore's firefighter jacket and helmet, which was brought out by an honor guard. Trump described Comperatore and the other injured bystanders as "warriors," before kissing the former fire chief's helmet.

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Donald Trump kisses a helmet and firefighter's jacket that belonged to Corey Comperatore, as he accepts the party's nomination on the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention (AFP / Kamil Krzaczynski)
Trump holds moment of silence for Corey Comperatore (HOST BROADCASTER)

However, the Convention's planners did not produce a replica uniform with the Comperatore's misspelled -- the jacket had "Compertore" printed on the back before the Republican National Convention.

The day after the shooting, the fire department posted an image on Facebook of Comperatore's jacket that contained the same spelling error (archived here).

In response to questions around the differences in the name spelling, the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company commented on the post that Comperatore had been aware of the misspelling but opted not to correct it.

"The spelling on his jacket was in error years ago and it was left that way by Corey," one comment says.

"Corey did not change it and we will keep it as it was. I understand it may seem confusing but that was Corey's choice to change it and he didn't."

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Screenshot of comments on Facebook from the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company taken July 22, 2024

AFP reached out to the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company for further comment, but a response was not forthcoming.

A spokesperson for the Republican Party pointed AFP to additional reporting that said the misspelling was the result of Comperatore's 11-letter name being too long to fit on the jacket, while declined to comment further.

AFP has debunked other claims about Donald Trump here.

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