On July 13, former President Donald Trump was rushed off the stage by Secret Service agents after an apparent assassination attempt at his Butler, Pennsylvania, campaign rally. A bullet pierced the upper part of Trumps’ ear. One spectator was killed and two others were injured.
The FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks as the shooter. Crooks, who the FBI believes acted alone to carry out the shooting, was killed by the Secret Service at the scene.
In the aftermath of the assassination attempt, photos went viral online showing Trump being swept off stage by his Secret Service detail.
But one photo shared multiple times on social media appears to show Secret Service agents grinning as they surround the former president. The posts imply that the shooting was staged.
“All 3 of the “secret service” are smiling/laughing. We’re being played folks,” one X post says. A Threads post says, “Why are the secret service smiling? STAGED.”
THE QUESTION
Is the photo of the smiling Secret Service agents surrounding Trump real?
THE SOURCES
- Original photo taken by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci
- Photos from the July 13 rally published by The New York Times and Reuters
- Video from the July 13 rally posted to YouTube by BBC News
THE ANSWER
No, the photo of the smiling Secret Service agents surrounding Trump isn’t real. The photo was doctored.
WHAT WE FOUND
The photo being shared repeatedly across social media appearing to show members of Trump’s Secret Service detail smiling as they rushed him off stage is fake. The original photo was captured by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci and in the original, the agents weren’t smiling.
VERIFY confirmed the image of the Secret Service detail smiling was doctored by comparing it to the original photograph taken by Vucci.
In both images, the agents are standing in the exact same positions. Trump has the same exact facial expression and the blood on his face is in the same spot. The only difference is the manipulated faces of the agents smiling.
VERIFY also compared the original photo taken by Vucci to others published by The New York Times and Reuters. Both agencies had photographers present at the rally. None of those photos show any agents smiling as they are ushering Trump off the stage.
Video posted online by BBC News of the moment Trump was taken off stage also confirms the agents weren’t smiling.
As has become common in the wake of major breaking news events, false claims and misinformation circulated rapidly on social media.
Before sharing photos or information during a breaking news event, the VERIFY team recommends that you take the following steps:
Check the source: are they credible sources of information?
Who’s the author or source?
Is the source of information biased?
Have they posted other misinformation before?
Is it from a well known or legitimate website?
Check the date. Is the information current, are other credible sources posting it the same day?
Conduct a reverse image search. If the image of the suspect has been shared by reputable outlets during breaking news, it could be real. If the same image appeared online connected to other events, not the one you are researching, then you know it’s not legit.
Pause before sharing if a piece of information makes you feel anxious, upset, or angry. Misinformation often spreads during times of emotion.
The VERIFY team works to separate fact from fiction so that you can understand what is true and false. Please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter, text alerts and our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Learn More »