Fabricated Trump statement saying he'd 'save' Hunter Biden spreads widely | Fact check

BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY
Updated

The claim: Image shows Trump statement on Hunter Biden conviction

A statement purporting to be from former President Donald Trump spread quickly online following Hunter Biden’s conviction on three felony gun charges.

The text was taken as real and amplified by an array of prominent people and organizations, including National Review, conservative-leaning pollsters Rasmussen Reports and former Barack Obama adviser David Axelrod. It also spread widely on X, formerly Twitter, and elsewhere online.

“Many people have asked me to comment on the conviction of Hunter Biden,” reads the start of the supposed statement, which also appeared in a June 11 Instagram post (direct link, archive link). “Sleepy Joe’s son was found guilty of lying on an application for a gun.”

It goes on to describe Hunter Biden as a “terrible person” who nevertheless has a “God-given right” to own a gun.

“His father, one of our worst presidents, is more concerned with making the gun control people happy, so he won’t have the courage to step in here and help Hunter,” reads another excerpt. “Don’t worry, Joe – I will Save your son after I get elected – for the third time!”

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Our rating: Altered

The supposed statement is fabricated. No such statement appears on Trump’s Truth Social account or campaign website, and a Trump spokesperson said the comments are fake.

Actual statement predicts Trump win on Election Day

There is no matching remark on Trump’s Truth Social account, and Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told USA TODAY it is “not a legitimate statement.”

A statement from Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt posted on her X account and the campaign's official website does not match the one circulating in the aforementioned social media posts.

The National Review story link visible in Google results led to an error page by late June 11, Axelrod deleted his post and Rasmussen noted in a followup X post that the statement wasn't real.

The real statement asserts Hunter Biden's trial was "nothing more than a distraction" and attacks the Biden family, going on to say President Joe Biden's time in office is "all coming to an end on November 5th."

The Trump campaign’s official X account and Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., also shared the real statement.

Fact check: Trump post on getting lawyer with 'more practical experience' is a fabrication

USA TODAY has debunked an array of altered content related to Trump, including a video showing a crowd celebrating his conviction, a photo showing him and Melania Trump posing alongside Stormy Daniels and a video showing him vowing to release former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan from jail if elected in 2024.

USA TODAY reached out to users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

AFP and Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump statement on Biden verdict is fabricated | Fact check

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