Fact Check: Did Eric Clapton call Trump 'disgrace to America' and 'cancer on society'?
WASHINGTON, DC: In December 2025, a viral claim spread across social media alleging that English guitarist and songwriter Eric Clapton had issued scathing public criticism of President Trump.
The statement attributed to Clapton alleged that he referred to Trump as “a disgrace to America,” “a cancer on society,” and “the most dangerous and corrupt leader ever.” But how much of this story is actually true?
Claim: Eric Clapton sharply criticized Donald Trump in past remarks
The viral claim was shared by an X user who posted the image alongside the caption, “Perfectly said.” The image displayed the quote, “Donald Trump is a disgrace to America. He's a liar, a conman, a bully,” presenting it as though Clapton had personally remarked.
It continued, "Everything he does is for personal gain. He spreads hate, he denies science, he tramples on democracy. It frightens the hell out of me what he's done to the world."
Clapton was further allegedly quoted as saying, “He's a cancer on society. I think he's the most dangerous and corrupt leader ever.”
The image circulated widely across social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
On Facebook, the same image was shared with the caption, “Across multiple years, Eric Clapton’s remarks portray Donald Trump as ignorant and reckless on climate issues, dishonest in public life, and emblematic of a corrupt status quo that prioritizes short-term gain over planetary survival.”
Another Facebook post shared the same image with the caption, “Donald Trump has made the United States and the world a worse place.”
An Instagram account also featured the image, further contributing to its circulation.
An account on Threads also shared the same image with the caption, “Slow Hand Clap Back.”
Fact check: False, the quote was incorrectly attributed to Eric Clapton
Despite its wide circulation, the claim lacked any verifiable source connecting the quote to Clapton and is therefore false.
A search using the keywords “Eric Clapton,” “Donald Trump,” “disgrace to America,” and “cancer on society” on Google, Yahoo, Bing, and DuckDuckGo, as well as on Google News, revealed no reputable news stories supporting the claim.
Had Clapton actually made such remarks about the president, it is highly likely that news and entertainment media outlets would have reported on the story.
In 2023, the guitarist supported Robert F Kennedy Jr's presidential campaign by helping raise funds; Kennedy later endorsed Trump and was appointed as his health and human services secretary.
The meme and quote exhibited clear signs of being fabricated. The earliest instance identified originated from a Facebook page devoted to the musician, called Tears in the Strings, which had previously shared multiple false stories about Clapton.
The post from Tears in the Strings contained a link in both the caption and comments to an archived, advertisement-filled article that, while mentioning Clapton and Trump, did not include the quote in question and instead focused on a different false story.
This article was hosted on a site known for publishing fabricated content with the typical hallmarks of AI-generated material, designed to generate ad revenue through sensational, clickable stories.
The “Page Transparency” section for Tears in the Strings indicated that the page was managed by users based in Vietnam and the Philippines.
