FACT CHECK: X Video Falsely Claims Trump Confirmed Sinwar’s Death
A video shared on X claims to show 2024 Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump confirming the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
🚨 Breaking: President @realDonaldTrump confirms that Yahya Sinwar was eliminated 👇
“He died like a rat” 🤣
— Oxomiya Jiyori 🇮🇳 (@SouleFacts) October 17, 2024
Verdict: False
The claim is false, as the original video shows Trump confirming the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2019.
Fact Check:
Sinwar, 62, was killed by the Israeli army’s Bislach Brigade while they recently “[conducted] searches of the Tal as-Sultan neighbourhood in Rafah,” according to Al Jazeera. Sinwar allegedly planned the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that sparked the group’s current war with Israel, the outlet reported.
The X video, viewed over 800 times as of writing, claims to show Trump confirming the death of Sinwar. “He died like a dog, he died like a coward. He was whimpering, screaming, and crying,” Trump says in the same video.
“Breaking: President @realDonaldTrump confirms that Yahya Sinwar was eliminated,” the video’s caption reads in part.
The claim is false, as the original video shows Trump confirming the death of al-Baghdadi in October 2019.
“Last night was a great night for the United States and for the world. A brutal killer, one who has caused so much hardship and death, has violently been eliminated. He will never again harm another innocent man, woman, or child. He died like a dog. He died like a coward. The world is now a much safer place,” Trump said while delivering remarks about al-Baghdadi’s death.
“And what they’ve done with the Internet, through recruiting and everything — and that’s why he died like a dog, he died like a coward. He was whimpering, screaming, and crying. And, frankly, I think it’s something that should be brought out so that his followers and all of these young kids that want to leave various countries, including the United States, they should see how he died,” Trump later added while answering questions about the military operation that killed al-Baghdadi.
A transcript of Trump’s remarks available via the White House archives reiterates that he referred to al-Baghdadi as a “dog” and a “coward.”
Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find any credible news reports suggesting Trump’s remarks were made in reference to Sinwar’s death. Actually, the opposite is true. On Oct. 18, Misbar debunked the claim, indicating Trump’s comments were made in reference to al-Baghdadi’s death in October 2019. (RELATED: Were Donald Trump’s Convictions Overturned In Appellate Court?)
Furthermore, Trump does not appear to have commented on the X video falsely linking his previous remarks about al-Baghdadi to Sinwar’s recent death.
Check Your Fact has contacted a Trump spokesperson for comment.