Fact Check: Did a liberal protester stab a Trump protester at Ohio rally?
CHILLICOTHE, OHIO: Ahead of the much-anticipated midterm elections, a video is circulating on social media platforms claiming to show a liberal protester stabbing a Trump supporter at a rally in Ohio attended by President Donald Trump. The claim has sparked concern and speculation about its authenticity, prompting a fact-check.
Claim: Donald Trump's supporter stabbed a liberal
According to the footage that went viral online, a man is heard asking the police in the aftermath of a fight if he was stabbed and if there is a knife in his back.
According to onlookers, a stabbing took place, and they demand arrests as the camera pans to show a knife attached to the back of the man's shirt.
An X user sharing the video stated, “OMG! A leftist lunatic stabbed a Trump supporter tonight outside his rally in Ohio. The left is EVIL!"
"Last night at the Trump rally in Chillicothe, Ohio, a Trump supporter was STABBED in the back by an UNHINGED LEFTIST," wrote another user.
The claim was amplified the following day after a host for the pro-Trump network asked a South Carolina rallygoer if he was worried for his safety, telling him a stabbing had transpired in Ohio.
Fact Check: Police confirmed no such stabbing took place
However, the claim is false, as there is no evidence of a stabbing outside Trump’s rally in Ohio, and the police have denied the rumors.
In an email to AFP, Michael AD Short, a captain at the Chillicothe Police Department, stated, “There was no stabbing. The incident involved a fight, which an officer intervened to break up. The retention clip securing the officer's pocketknife became caught in one of the individuals' shirts during the altercation. The pocketknife did not open."
A review of the comments under the video revealed that the man in the video is identified as a local hip-hop artist who goes by the name Mike Ohio. His sister, who also posted about the incident on Facebook, clarified that her brother was in the fight and called the stabbing rumors false allegations.
Protesters interrupt Donald Trump's rallies
There are several instances of interruption from protesters during Trump’s campaign rallies ahead of the midterm election, including a protester wearing a shirt that read “Release the Epstein Files,” who was removed from a rally in Youngstown, Ohio.
As officers pulled the person from the crowd, Trump said, "He's a paid protester; they're all paid. They get paid by the lefties to destroy our country. They're scum."
"Oh, he's got to go on a diet. He's a fat guy. Wow," the president said.
