Trump shooting fact check roundup: False claims about rally attack spread online
An assassination attempt that left former President Donald Trump injured quickly led to misinformation online as people looked for answers in the aftermath.
Trump suffered an injury to his right ear as multiple shots were fired at his July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Two others were critically injured and 50-year-old Corey Comperatore was killed. The FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the shooter. He was killed at the scene by the Secret Service’s counter-sniper team.
As authorities released details about the shooting, the facts competed with a growing amount of disinformation about everything from the shooter's identity to the emotion shown by the Secret Service agents who whisked Trump off the stage.
Here's a roundup of Trump rally shooting-related checks from the USA Today Fact-Check team.
More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page
Claim: Misspelled name proves jacket on RNC stage didn’t belong to Corey Comperatore
Our rating: False
Comperatore's fire department confirmed the misspelled jacket seen on the RNC stage belonged to the slain fireman. It said the error was made several years prior to the shooting and Comperatore opted not to correct it. Photos of the jacket taken before Trump's speech also read "Compertore."
Full fact check: False claim misspelling shows jacket on RNC stage wasn't Corey Comperatore's
Claim: Video shows Trump shooter shouting ‘Slash Republican throats’
Our rating: False
The video dates to 2020 and was filmed on the Arizona State University campus. The university's president said the man yelling in the video is not tied to the assassination attempt and has a different name and date of birth than the Trump rally shooter.
Full fact check: False claim video shows Thomas Crooks calling to 'slash Republican throats
Claim: Image shows Trump playing golf after assassination attempt
Our rating: False
The image does not show Trump playing golf after the assassination attempt. It was taken in 2022 at one of Trump's golf courses in Virginia.
Full fact check: Image shows Trump at golf course in 2022, not after rally shooting
Claim: Image shows Donald Trump after assassination attempt with no ear injury
Our rating: False
Trump’s ear injury was well documented in the moment of the shooting and in his appearances at the Republican National Convention. The image in the post is from an appearance by Trump while campaigning for Ohio Sen. JD Vance in 2022.
Full fact check: Photos show Trump campaigning years before shooting
Claim: Image shows Barron Trump at July 13 rally
Our rating: False
The photo was captured in Florida four days before the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. There's no evidence the former president's son attended the July 13 rally.
Full fact check: Barron Trump photo falsely linked to rally shooting
Claim: Image shows Trump's suit jacket was pierced with a bullet during Pennsylvania rally shooting
Our rating: False
No bullets hit Trump in the torso or passed through his jacket, according to video and photos of the moment, as well as the former president’s comments immediately after the assassination attempt. The dark spot in the image appears to be part of a Secret Service agent's suit.
Full fact check: No, Image does not show Trump's suit jacket was pierced with a bullet
Claim: Image showing US flag behind Trump during shooting was doctored
Our rating: False
The image wasn’t doctored. The flag was positioned high above the stage, so it could only be seen from certain angles and distances.
Full fact check: Trump rally flag flew high above stage, not photoshopped in
Claim: Alejandro Mayorkas denied requests for additional security at Trump rally
Our rating: False
Mayorkas, the Secret Service and the FBI said the claim is false, and that extra resources and technology had been allocated to the campaign rally. Those making this claim have not provided evidence to substantiate it.
Full fact check: No evidence Mayorkas denied security requests ahead of Trump rally | Fact check
Claim: Video shows Trump rally shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks
Our rating: False
Thomas Matthew Crooks, identified by authorities as the rally shooter, was killed at the scene. The video does not show the shooter who opened fire at former President Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally. A social media user made the video as a hoax and posted it on X, formerly Twitter.
Full fact check: Man pretended he was Trump rally shooter in a viral video
Claim: Butler, Pennsylvania, police identified Trump shooter as Mark Violets, arrested him at scene
Our rating: False
Officials identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed at the scene. There is no evidence the Butler, Pennsylvania, police department released any such statement. The police chief said the incident happened outside of city limits and that the FBI, not local law enforcement, would be issuing information to the public.
Full fact check: Officials identified Trump shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, not Mark Violets | Fact check
Claim: Image shows Trump with smiling Secret Service agents after shooting
Our rating: Altered
The image was doctored to change the facial expressions of the agents. They are not smiling in the original photo.
Full fact check: Doctored image shows smiling Secret Service agents around Trump amid shooting | Fact check
Claim: Image shows Trump rally shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks
Our rating: False
That's not Thomas Matthew Crooks in the image. The social media user who first posted it to X, formerly Twitter, later admitted it was shared as a joke.
Full fact check: Claim that image shows Trump rally shooter began as hoax
Claim: 'The Simpsons' predicted Trump would be assassinated
Our rating: False
"The Simpsons" didn't predict Trump would be assassinated. A cartoon image of Trump in a casket has circulated online for years but has never appeared on the show.
Full fact check: No, 'The Simpsons' did not make prediction about Trump shooting | Fact check
Claim: Video shows Trump assassination attempt was 'staged,' there were 'no bullets flying'
Our rating: False
This video doesn't show the Trump rally shooting was "staged." Multiple people were shot and one was killed after a shooter opened fire during the rally, according to state and federal law enforcement agencies. The Secret Service had already confirmed the shooting resulted in casualties by the time the Facebook post was shared on July 14.
Full fact check: Post wrongly claims nothing hit in Trump rally shooting | Fact check
Claim: Thomas Matthew Crooks is not the suspected Trump rally shooter
Our rating: False
In a July 14 statement, the FBI named Crooks as the suspect in the attempted assassination of Trump at the former president’s July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. This hasn’t changed.
Full fact check: Maxwell Yearick not named suspect in Trump rally shooting | Fact check
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump shooting fact checks: False claims about assassination attempt