This video has circulated in reports about Trump being rushed off stage after a false gun scare in 2016
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on March 27, 2020 at 05:50
- 2 min read
- By AFP Indonesia
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The 15-second clip, which shows Trump speaking at a podium, was posted here on Facebook on March 15, 2020. It has been viewed more than 3,900 times.
The Indonesian-language caption translates to English as: “Donald Trump suddenly passed out while delivering a speech”.
Below is a screenshot of the misleading post:
The video was also shared on Facebook here and here alongside a similar claim.
Some comments from Facebook users on the misleading posts suggested that Trump fainted after he became infected with the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
Some of the comments read: “Heard that he has been infected with the coronavirus” and “Maybe it’s coronavirus”.
Below is the screenshot of a comment on one of the misleading posts:
The claim is misleading; the clip has circulated in media reports since at least 2016 about Trump being rushed off stage by his security guards after a false gun scare during a campaign event in Nevada.
A keyword search on Google found this 30-second video uploaded by AFP on YouTube on November 6, 2016, titled: “Trump rushed off stage in false gun scare”.
The video’s caption reads: “White House Republican candidate Donald Trump was rushed off stage by security officers after a false gun scare during a campaign appearance.”
Below is the screenshot comparison between footage in the misleading post (L) and AFP video (R):
AFP also published this report about the event on November 6, 2016, with the same headline as the video.
The report’s first two paragraphs read: “White House Republican candidate Donald Trump was rushed off stage by security officers Saturday after a false gun scare during a campaign appearance.
“The US Secret Service, which provides security for presidential candidates, later said someone in the crowd had shouted ‘gun’ but that no weapon was found.”
The Guardian also published an identical video in this November 6, 2016, report, headlined: “Donald Trump is rushed off stage by Secret Service agents at Nevada rally”.
Trump has tested negative for the novel coronavirus, as reported by AFP here on March 15, 2020.
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