FACT CHECK: Did Ben Affleck Wear A Shirt Calling Trump Supporters ‘Losers’?
An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows actor Ben Affleck wearing a t-shirt calling supporters of former President Donald Trump “losers.”
Verdict: False
The image has been altered. In the original, Affleck’s t-shirt is unadorned.
Fact Check:
Social media users are sharing an image of Affleck wearing a t-shirt reading, “Losers in 1865, Losers in 1945, Losers in 2020.” The t-shirt includes images of the Confederate flag, the Nazi flag and the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hat, a known symbol of Trump supporters.
Through a reverse image search, however, Check Your Fact discovered the photo has been altered. The original was featured in a 2015 article from Entertainment Tonight Online and shows Affleck wearing an unadorned, grey t-shirt. The same, unaltered image of Affleck can be found in articles published by the Mirror and the New York Daily News. (RELATED: Does This Image Show George Clooney Wearing A T-Shirt Calling Trump Supporters ‘Losers’?)
While there is no evidence Affleck wore such a t-shirt, he has been critical of Trump in the past. In 2016, he told Vanity Fair that he did not think Trump would make a positive difference in the world as president. He also publicly feuded with the former president in 2017 after Trump called actress Meryl Streep overrated, Boston Magazine reported. Affleck has donated to Democrats in the past, according to CNN and The Hollywood Reporter.
This is not the first time the t-shirt has been photoshopped onto celebrities. Check Your Fact has previously debunked viral images that purportedly showed actors Ryan Reynolds and George Clooney wearing the same shirt.