FACT CHECK: No, Donald Trump Did Not Endorse Brandon Presley For Mississippi Governor
A viral video shared on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, purports former President Donald Trump endorsed Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley for Mississippi governor on a recent episode of the Newsmax program, “Rob Schmitt Tonight.”
OFFICIAL: TRUMP ENDORSES BRANDON PRESLEY FOR MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR. pic.twitter.com/PLPtmGntBy
— MAGA PATRIOTS FOR PRESLEY (@nassaucentrist) November 5, 2023
Verdict: False
The viral video clip has been created with artificial intelligence (AI). Trump endorsed Republican incumbent Tate Reeves for Mississippi governor, according to an Oct. 31 article from Mississippi Today.
Fact Check:
Mississippi voters favored Republican incumbent Reeves (at 51%) over his Democratic challenger Presley (at 43%) in an October poll conducted by Magnolia Tribune/Mason-Dixon, according to Fox News. Voters in the state have not elected a Democrat to serve as their governor in more than 20 years, the Washington Post reported.
The video clip, viewed over 200,000 times, opens with Schmitt appearing to remark that Trump has “taken a lot of heat” for endorsing Presley in the Mississippi governor’s race. The clip then continues with Trump appearing to label incumbent candidate Reeves as both corrupt and a “Republican in Name Only,” or RINO. Trump speaks with Schmitt via a phone call.
The clip is not authentic, as it was created using AI. A keyframe search reveals a March 2023 episode of Schmitt’s show was used as the source video in the AI-generated clip. The original clip also shows Schmitt speaking with Trump via a phone call, but they are discussing his then-potential indictment.
Likewise, according to an Oct. 31 article from Mississippi Today, Trump endorsed Republican incumbent Reeves in the Mississippi governor’s race. The outlet indicated that the former Republican President made a video endorsement in which he called out President Joe Biden for funding Presley’s campaign.
Trump’s video endorsement has been shared on Reeves’ YouTube channel, and the video is titled “Let’s Go Brandon.”
“Joe Biden’s people are funding Presley’s campaign. They own him, he’ll do whatever they want him to do, it’s really bad for Mississippi,” Trump says in the video before endorsing Reeves.
In addition, Schmitt has not publicly addressed the viral AI-generated X clip via his verified social media accounts. (RELATED: Donald Trump Claims Sidney Powell Was Not His Lawyer)
Check Your Fact has contacted Trump’s spokesperson and Schmitt for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.