FACT CHECK: Video Of Trump Signing Tractor Is Not Linked To Recent Protests From European Farmers

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

A video shared on X purports to show former President Donald Trump signing a tractor and links the event to recent protests by European farmers.

Verdict: Misleading

The original video, shared on YouTube by Forbes, shows Trump signing a tractor in Iowa in October 2023.

Fact Check:

Czech farmers recently joined protests occurring throughout Europe, “disrupting traffic” with tractors in downtown Prague, according to Reuters. Farmers in other European countries, including Germany and Poland, have also been protesting, The Associated Press reported.

The X video, viewed over 18,000 times, purports to show Trump signing a tractor and links the event to recent protests by European farmers. “Whilst European farmers are forced to rise as government’s [sic] crush their businesses and livelihoods. [sic] Donald Trump is visiting farms and signing tractors,” the video’s caption reads. The video also circulated in a Britain-based Facebook group.

The claim is misleading, however. The original video, shared on YouTube by Forbes, shows Trump signing a tractor in Iowa in October 2023. “Earlier today, former President Trump visited a farm in Leighton, Iowa, and spoke to farmers and signed a John Deere combine,” the video’s description reads.

Likewise, Trump’s Senior Advisor, Daniel Scavino, Jr., shared the clip on his verified Instagram account back in October 2023. “[President Trump] stops by a Family Farm in Iowa—prior to departing they ask him to sign their @JohnDeere Combine,” Scavino, Jr. captioned the clip. (RELATED: Claim About Empty Shelves, New York Trucker Boycott Stems From Satire Article)

Additionally, the video has not been referenced in any credible news reports about the farmers’ recent protests in Europe. In fact, the opposite is true. Logically Facts also labeled the clip as misleading in a Feb. 16 article. Furthermore, Trump has not publicly commented on the claim via his website or TRUTH Social account.

Farmers are currently protesting throughout Europe as a result of multiple factors, including “rising costs,” “climate change,” and “heavy regulation,” according to The Guardian.

Check Your Fact has contacted a Trump spokesperson for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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