The claim: Image showing US flag behind Trump during shooting was doctored
A July 14 Threads post ( direct link , archive link ) questions the authenticity of an image showing an American flag flying behind former President Donald Trump after he survived an assassination attempt on July 13.
“This has been bugging me since it happened,” reads the post, which is a response to another post with a collage of shooting pictures.
One of the photos in that collage shows Trump with blood on his face, pumping his fist as an American flag flies above him.
“The viral pic has a flag. There was no flag behind Trump and the SS. Who photoshopped in the flag?” the post says
The Threads post was reposted more than 80 times in two days. The original post also spread widely on Threads.
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Fact check roundup: False claims about Trump rally shooting spread online
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.
Livestream, photos from various outlets show flag
The flag was present at the rally, though its position meant it wasn't visible in every photo from the event. It was hung between two cranes and positioned well above the stage at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, T he Washington Post reported .
The flag can be seen in a post-shooting wide shot from Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, who also took the photo included in the original Threads post. A photo by the London-based Daily Mirror also shows the flag flying between the cranes from a different angle.
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The flag can also be seen flying in the background of Right Side Broadcasting Network's livestream of the event.
USA TODAY has debunked an array of claims surrounding the shooting, including false assertions that a video shows the assassination attempt was “staged,” that an image authentically shows Trump with smiling Secret Service agents after the incident and that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas denied requests for additional security at the rally.
USA TODAY reached out to users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
- Associated Press, July 15, At the Trump rally, it was evening sun, songs and blue sky. Then came bullets, screams and blood
- The Daily Mirror, July 15, EXCLUSIVE: American flag and spotlights only remnants of deadly Donald Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania
- CNN, July 14, Trump safe, two dead after assassination attempt at Pennsylvania rally
- Right Side Broadcasting Network, July 13, BREAKING: ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON PRESIDENT TRUMP AT BUTLER, P.A. RALLY – 7/13/24
- The Washington Post, July 13, Pops, screams and then blood: On the scene at the Trump rally shooting
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump rally flag flew high above stage, not photoshopped in | Fact check
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