Fake Facebook post tries to exonerate Trump over insulting a Gold Star widow
The information war is well under way.
A fake Facebook post from the widow of a U.S. soldier killed in Niger has become fodder for supporters of President Donald Trump.
The fabricated post, passed around as a screenshot, purports to be from Myeshia Johnson, whose husband U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson and three other U.S. soldiers died after being ambushed.
The fake post references Trump's call to Myeshia Johnson, in which Trump allegedly told the widow that the dead soldier "knew what he signed up for." The call has spawned one of the worst crises of the Trump administration.
The fake post:
Myeshia Johnson told reporters on Sunday that the post was fake. Snopes also has a debunk, but that has not stopped some Trump supporters from using the post to excuse the president's actions.
Trump tweeted on Monday about the situation, claiming that he had "a very respectful conversation" and that he said the soldier's name—contradicting Johnson's claim.
Trump's mentions are always a mess, and this time was no different. Some supporters used the fake post in an attempt to prove Trump right.
Topics Donald Trump Politics
Jason Abbruzzese is a Business Reporter at Mashable. He covers the media and telecom industries with a particular focus on how the Internet is changing these markets and impacting consumers. Prior to working at Mashable, Jason served as Markets Reporter and Web Producer at the Financial Times. Jason holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University and an M.A. in International Affairs from Australian National University.
