FACT CHECK: Did The Japanese Prime Minister Carry A ‘Trump 2024’ Sign While Meeting With Kamala Harris?

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

A video shared on Facebook allegedly shows Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat and holding a “Trump 2024” sign while standing with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Verdict: False

The video has been altered to add the “Trump 2024” sign and the “Make America Great Again” hat. Footage and photos show Suga was not wearing any hat or carrying a sign at the time.

Fact Check:

Harris met with Suga prior to the Japanese prime minister’s April 16 meeting with President Joe Biden, according to Reuters. Biden and Suga’s summit marked the president’s first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader, The Washington Post reported. (RELATED: Did Kamala Harris Call Joe Biden ‘Trash’?)

In the video being shared on Facebook, Suga appears to sport a red “Make America Great Again” hat and hold a “Trump 2024 Save America Again” sign while Harris formally welcomes him. Both Harris and Suga gave brief remarks ahead of the U.S.-Japan bilateral meeting, according to a White House transcript.

Check Your Fact reviewed the White House footage of the meeting between Suga and Harris and found the Japanese prime minister neither wore a hat nor carried a sign at the time. The Facebook video has been digitally altered to add both.

Photos of the meeting available on Getty Images show Suga did not wear the hat or carry the sign, contrary to what the doctored video attempts to suggest. Reuters and Associated Press photos also do not depict Suga with items in support of former President Donald Trump.

During his joint remarks with Harris ahead of the bilateral meeting, Suga said in part, “Today, I very much look forward to discussing with you, Vice President Harris, as well as with President Biden later on, regarding important challenges – a wide range of challenges – that both Japan and the United States face and reconfirm the bond of our alliance,” as interpreted in a White House transcript.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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