Fact Check: Did Barron Trump give up his first-class airplane seat for an elderly veteran?

[Dennis Donovan]

meaww.com - Fact Check: Did Barron Trump give up his first-class airplane seat for an elderly veteran?

By Kunal Dey
Published on : 02:04 PST, Dec 25, 2024

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Fact Check: Did Barron Trump offer elderly veteran his first-class seat?
Earlier this month, a video surfaced claiming that Barron had given up his first-class airplane seat to an elderly veteran.

The clip racked up more than half a million views and was an instant hit among fans on social media. The comments section was flooded with admiration, with one fan gushing, "He was taught the right way how to honor veterans and to respect all."

But as inspiring as the story may sound, it turned out to be completely fabricated. Fact-checking site Snopes quickly put the rumor to rest, finding no credible evidence to support the claim. The video itself was traced back to Elite Stories, a YouTube channel notorious for publishing fictional content.

Even more telling, the veteran featured in the video appeared differently across various thumbnails — a red flag for AI-generated or altered content. YouTube even flagged the clip as “altered or synthetic content,” casting further doubt on its authenticity.

Finally, a disclaimer buried in its description read: "The stories presented on this channel are entirely fictional and crafted solely for entertainment. Any resemblance to real events, individuals, or situations is purely coincidental and unintentional. These narratives are not intended to depict, reference, or represent any actual occurrences, persons, or entities."

Snopes ultimately rated the claim as false.

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[rampartd]

1. what is wrong with these peop,le?

this boy was never "raised right" unless he had an exceptional immigrant nanny who will be deported as soon as trump is done with her.

[mercuryblues]

2. Like baron flies commercial

Maggots will believe anything and regurgitate it as fact.

[tanyev]

3. Exactly.

The only “elderly veteran” Barron might give up a seat for is the one whose personal Vietnam was his years trying to avoid STDs at Studio 54.

[mercuryblues]

4. that's only because he knows if he doesn't

the ketchup bottles will fly.

[tanyev]

7. LOL, and the will rewritten.

[GoCubsGo]

10. You took the words right out of my mouth.

This punk's father has them all believing that he's a successful business man and billionaire. And, his mother suckered them into thinking she's a brilliant model who speaks 5 languages, who loves her husband. It's not surprising the kid is con artist, too. The shit doesn't fall far from the asshole.

[JI7]

13. And idiots that get their news from headlines and memes

will get a similar false story but it will put some Democrat or relative of a Democrat in a bad light. So taking both of these fake stories they will vote Republican.

[2naSalit]

37. My first thought!

[Callie1979]

41. My first thought too. When Melania flies to see her BF in NYC, he's with her

In a private jet probably paid for by campaign money

[Vinca]

5. Unfortunately, MAGA laps this stuff up as gospel.

[thebigidea]

6. That picture is clearly partly or completely AI slop.

It's riffing off of the existing WWII Veteran designs that would be heavily weighed in the model due to all the hundreds of images of it on Google Image Search and the like - but the ribbon strip is wonky and the kerning on the lettering is FUCKED.

The resolution and textures are blurry as hell on the hat but suddenly pristine on his face.

God, I hate this shit so much.

[Bo Zarts]

25. The blurred "US AX#%@???" on the hat above "VETERAN" is a mirror image .. most likely AI

The blurred and mirror-imaged "US AX#%@???" on the hat above the crystal clear "VETERAN" .. most likely AI.

The rank insignia is a black oak leaf .. Lieutenant Colonel.

Below the rank insignia is what looks like a piece of black cardboard with a gold star and "VETERAN."

The focus and noise-free image of the jacket are not what you would get with a cell phone image taken on an airliner .. especially with "dimly flickering cabin lights."

As a veteran, this shit is an insult to my service (Vietnam), my dad's service (WWII - wounded), and to all other veterans .. past, present, and future.

[Wiz Imp]

8. How is it that I can read the question in the headline and immediately know the answer is no,

but these idiot MAGAs immediately believe it? That's right. I'm not a brainwashed cult member.

[sop]

39. Betteridge's law of headlines: "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no."

[JohnnyRingo]

9. I'm shocked... SHOCKED I tell you!

Pretty low to use family members to hoist his public perception.
I often wonder how that kid, who is obviously closer to his mother, thinks about the Old Man. He went to private school, did his peers tell him what a hero his dad is? I doubt it.

[nuxvomica]

11. It's so obviously false on the face of it

First of all, his name is misspelled as "Baron" in the captioning, he is described as thumbing through a hardcover book, and we know he would have caught hell from his father for honoring a veteran.

[DeeDeeNY]

22. And AI-generated narrator voice

[Grins]

12. Only Republicans do shit like this.

That said, pretty lame. As if that kid has EVER been on a commercial flight.

[Straw Man]

35. Bingo.

As if that kid has EVER been on a commercial flight.

Yes, that's the first lie. Anyone who got past that one would believe just about anything.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

15. Everything about this family of vipers is fake!!

[paleotn]

16. Trump world. A land of total fabrication.

Makes Disney look like a documentary.


But covered by the legal beagles in the fine print. What shysters. And what fools for actually believing a group that's been caught in an untold number of lies.

[sop]

40. Barron Trump is following in his father's footsteps, this is lie #1 of his political career.

[niyad]

17. Without even looking, the answer is NO!!! Apart from Snopes debunking it,

and "elite stories" proudly saying they make stuff up. . .the veteran has been identified as a man who died in 2018. What is disturbing, as I read through the first 50 or so comments, was the ugliness, the stupidity, the hatred, from the magats to liberals, and their willingness to believe the opposite of truth.

[mainer]

18. Why are MAGAs so gullible?

The fawning comments on YouTube are astonishing. They truly believe the Trumps are benevolent gods.

[BoRaGard]

19. More EVIL G.O.P. lies and propaganda for Christmas

No resect, no honor.

[Joinfortmill]

20. He's a chip off the Trump block

[Maeve]

21. Nor did Eloon reward someone for fixing his tire, or reunite a lost girl and her mom, or test a restaurant

By dressing up as a homeless person, or....
These feel-good crap stories are created to make the uber-rich sound human when they AREN'T

[Wiz Imp]

28. MAGAs will believe anything except the Truth

The crazier or dumber the story, the more likely they are to believe it.

https://www.snopes.com/collections/musk-rumors-collection/

[Borogove]

23. Since reality is so unflattering to these people, they must fabricate their own.

[Martin68]

24. Bad to the bone, complete and utter frauds one and all.

[rzemanfl]

26. I am reminded of something that happened here in 2016...

when I suggested Barron deserved the same respect and consideration on DU his father would show for our daughters. I don't think DU rules have a Statute of Limitations, so that's all I will say.

[mercuryblues]

44. Barron was a minor then

Now he is older and was willingly involved in his fathers campaign.

[rzemanfl]

45. Treating him as off limits sure helped a lot.

We've seen what his father did to our daughters and granddaughters.

[mercuryblues]

46. I understand that

But Barron is no longer a minor and was heavily involved in the orange menace's campaign.

[rzemanfl]

47. I am not disagreeing.

Just noting that playing nice did not stop him from becoming a right-wing tool.

[Figarosmom]

27. Well duh

I doubt this guy has ever been on a commercial flight

[nini]

29. I doubt that brat has ever flown anything but a private plane

.

[Blue Owl]

30. Nothing is real in the tRump fart bubble -- except the horrible stench

[yellow dahlia]

31. I'm shocked...shocked, I say.

[live love laugh]

32. The lie will circulate for years and people will believe it's true.

[ReRe]

33. You know something?

I have never seen that child smile. I hope he is doing well in college and making lots of friends.

[DFW]

34. Paul Simon nailed it 50 years ago

No Maggats then, but his lyrics are as true now as they were then:

All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest

[COL Mustard]

36. I doubt that Barron

Has ever flown commercial. And I’m sure he would never give up a first class seat for anyone, unless they could do something for him.

[Liberal In Texas]

38. What a crock of crap video. Text to speech for the audio - always a fine touch.

There's a lot of this click bait junk out there. And the rubes seemingly eat it up.

[Conjuay]

42. No surprise there. NT

[Emile]

43. Barron flying on a commercial flight should be the clue

that this another right-wing bullshit lie. Just common sense.