Donald Trump's presidential rally in Waco, the first official on his 2024 campaign to return to the White House, made headlines for the former commander-in-chief.
Journalists noted groups of people leaving after only 30 minutes, while Trump's critics claimed the rally attendance was poor, citing overhead shots of the Waco Regional Airport. Trump's supporters, however, hailed the rally as a sign of his enduring popularity.
Among the more troubling claims circulating around the rally was the rumor that far-right supporters had been pictured at the event displaying notorious hate symbols.
The Claim
A tweet by user @Rubicon1313, posted on March 26, 2023, viewed 41,000 times, stated: "🙄Waco Update: crowd size - under 2,000 and some a-holes displaying this lovely but accurate depiction of Republican Ideology. "All roads lead to Russia"- NANCY PELOSI"
Beneath the tweet was an image of a flag with the word "TRUMP", the Nazi swastika, the Confederate battle flag, and part of the flag of the Soviet Union.
The Facts
The photo shared on Twitter was not taken at the rally in Waco.
As noted by Reuters, the photo matches footage from a demonstration in Wilkes-Barre Township in Pennsylvania, where Trump held a rally a few days after. Footage of the demonstration, which took place on September 1, 2022, was uploaded to YouTube.
The flag was burned by Gene Stilp, a Democratic candidate and political activist, in a protest against Trump.
Newsweek has been unable to find other photos featuring the swastika at the rally, nor were there obvious instances of the Confederate flag, despite its appearance at other Trump campaign events.
After the rally, Trump claimed tens of thousands of people had attended. Local media reports put the attendance at between 15,000 to 18,000, below what Trump claimed.
During an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Trump said: "Last night, I had a rally with tens of thousands of people. The press admitted there were at least 25 or 30,000 people. That means you can double it at least."
Newsweek has contacted a Donald Trump representative via email for comment.
The Ruling
False.
The photo of a flag emblazoned with both a Trump logo and a swastika was not taken at the event in Waco, Rally.
It was captured at an anti-Trump demonstration in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania, in 2022. The flag was burned by Gene Stilp, a Pennsylvania political activist and Democrat.
Newsweek was unable to find instances of the swastika displayed at the rally in Waco.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
Uncommon Knowledge
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