Fact Check: Did Trump claim Lindsey Graham was the first gay elected to the Senate?
WASHINGTON, DC: After the midterm elections, a rumor is circulating on social media platforms alleging that President Donald Trump, in an online post, claimed that late Senator Lindsey Graham was the first openly gay man elected to the Senate. The claim has sparked criticism and mockery online and called for a fact-check.
Claim: Donald Trump said Lindsey Graham was the first openly gay Senator
The claim surfaced in the form of a screenshot, claiming to show a post by Trump on his official Truth Social handle.
The alleged post read, “New Hampshire is telling the world that they elected the first openly gay man to the Senate, but that's FAKE NEWS. Lindsey Graham was the first!”
The screenshot has spread on multiple platforms, including X, Facebook, and Instagram, garnering millions of views as of this writing, with many sharing it widely, assuming it to be an authentic post by the president.
Meanwhile, a few others dismissed it as fake, while others expressed skepticism and called for a fact check.
Fact Check: Donald Trump made no such post
However, the claim is false, as Trump has not posted such a post on any of his social media handles.
A search for the screenshot’s text on the president’s accounts, especially on Truth Social, yielded no such post.
A search on his commentary accounts on X, which automatically archives all his Truth Social posts, also yielded no results.
If Trump had really made such a post, it would not have gone unreported by prominent media outlets, given the humorous nature of the post. Searches on Google and other search engines yielded no credible media reports, which, if true, would have made headlines.
Chris Pappas becomes the first openly gay Senator
The screenshot surfaced after Chris Pappas won the election in New Hampshire, becoming the first openly gay senator, defeating John E. Sununu and keeping a critical open seat under Democratic control.
“Whether you’re a Republican, an independent, or a Democrat, tonight’s victory is for you because this is a victory for team New Hampshire over the broken status quo that is hurting all of us just the same,” he said, standing before his supporters on Tuesday night.
“I want to thank the guy next to me, my amazing husband, Vann,” Pappas said about his husband, Vann Bentley, who stood behind him.
“He’s always been by my side,” Pappas said. “Tonight, win, lose, or draw, I’m the luckiest guy because I’m married to the man that I love.”
