Fact Check: Did Trump pay off a stranger's mortgage after they helped him fix flat tire on his limo?

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: Many old stories and urban legends surrounding President-elect Donald Trump have resurfaced on the Internet following his historic win over Vice President Kamala Harris.

One such tale involves him allegedly paying off a stranger's mortgage for helping him with a flat tire, and several versions of it have been circulating on X (formerly Twitter). 

But is there any truth to this? Let's find out below.

Claim: Donald Trump paid off mortgage of stranger who helped fix a flat tire on his limousine

An X user @FarroYossi shared on November 11, "That time an Orthodox Jewish man helped Donald Trump change a flat tire—and Trump thanked him by paying off his mortgage."

They continued, "One day in the mid-90s, Donald Trump’s car had a flat tire on the highway, and an Orthodox Jewish man named Rabbi Yisroel Shemtov, who was passing by, stopped to help. Rabbi Shemtov reportedly changed the tire, allowing Trump and his driver to continue their journey."

"Grateful for the assistance, Trump asked how he could repay him. The rabbi, dedicated to his faith and community, requested only that Trump send flowers to his wife. However, Trump went a step further—he paid off the man’s mortgage in full as a gesture of gratitude," claimed the user. 

Another X user, @Ahurley2Hurley, wrote, "President Trump has never been racist. He had a flat tire, had on a suit. Black man came and offered to help him change the tire. Trump asked what can I do for you? He said my wife always wanted a bouquet of flowers. Trump sent the flowers with a note saying your mortgage is paid off. He’s not a racist."

Meanwhile, another X user, @Thomas55G, claimed in their post, "Trump's limo got a flat tire in west palm years ago about 1 am, a guy who was driving by was a tire guy stopped and changed his tire. Trump later that week paid off the guys mortgage on his house. Don't hear about that in the news."

Fact check: Viral claims remain unsubstantiated

Even though the story isn't demonstrably false, it does appear to be a variant of decades-old urban legend about celebrities and good Samaritans.

Moreover, Trump and his staff have made contradictory statements about its veracity over the years and it remains unsubstantiated.

Snopes first broke down the claim in 1998, after a version of the story appeared in a 1996 Forbes article.

The fact-checking website noted at the time that the same story has been told about other celebrities, including Henry Ford, Nat King Cole, and Bill Gates, indicating that Trump may simply be the most recent guest star in an urban legend that's been passed around for many years with minor variations.

Furthermore, the stranger who fixed Trump's tire never came forward and no conclusive evidence of his existence was ever found. However, there's also no concrete proof that the story is false, and statements from Trump and his team contradict each other. 

As per Snopes archives, Trump claimed in a January 2005 episode of his television series 'The Apprentice' that the tale was true. His 2016 presidential campaign team even repeated the claim in a news release, according to an archive kept by The American Presidency Project.

Trump used to pose as a publicist to brag about himself and has a longtime reputation for mendacity and self-aggrandizement that preceded his presidential campaigns, according to Snopes.

Having said that, in 1997, a year after the Forbes article, Trump's office told The Globe and Mail that the tale wasn't true.