Fact Check: Did Trump post about George Soros paying protesters to participate in ‘Hands Off!’ rallies?
WASHINGTON, DC: Protests erupted against Donald Trump and Elon Musk across all 50 states and globally, as part of a pro-democracy movement responding to what they called a "hostile takeover" and an attack on American rights and freedoms, on Saturday, April 5.
Over 1,400 'Hands Off!' mass-action protests took place at locations such as state capitols, federal buildings, and city halls on Saturday.
In the aftermath, a rumor began circulating about a post allegedly made by Trump, claiming that billionaire George Soros paid millions of people to participate in the demonstrations. But did Trump really make such a claim? Let’s dive into a quick fact check!
Claim: Donald Trump accused George Soros of funding protests
A screenshot circulating online shows a post from President Donald Trump on Truth Social alleging that billionaire George Soros paid millions of people to participate in the April 5 'Hands Off!' protests.
The post, which was shared widely across platforms like Facebook and Threads, describes the demonstrations as "fake" and the protesters as "actors" paid by Soros.
The post reportedly reads, "Wow! The April 5th protests—FAKE! Totally STAGED! I'm hearing from VERY reliable sources (the BEST sources) that George Soros paid FIVE MILLION people—can you believe it??—$100 MILLION EACH to protest. Total Scam. They're not protesters—they're 5 million ACTORS.!"
This post has sparked widespread attention, with Facebook user Ken McMeans joking about the claim: "Trump posted that the 5 million Americans who attended yesterday’s Hands Off protest rallies are paid actors, getting paid $100 million dollars from George Soros."
It added, "I am, of course, excited about this (though I am not sure if that’s 100 mil each or divided 5 million ways). I even sent my W9 to George today. I haven’t decided what to do with my monies yet. Either going to buy eggs or fill up my truck with gas. 🤔"
False: Rumor involving Donald Trump and George Soros debunked
While many believe that the Truth Social post originated from Donald Trump, it's essential to verify the facts.
According to Snopes, there is no evidence that the post was made on Trump's Truth Social account. Key signs suggest the screenshot was digitally fabricated, such as inconsistencies in the fonts used. Furthermore, the post lacks a time or date, which is a required feature for social media posts.
The font seen in the screenshot doesn't match the default style used on Truth Social, as shown in an authentic post from Trump on April 7.
Another significant clue is that a search for the phrase "George Soros" on Trump's Truth Social, including an archive of both current and deleted posts, yielded no results for April 2025.
The most recent mention of Soros by Trump on Truth Social occurred on April 28, 2024.
Additionally, the premise of the post is highly implausible. If Soros truly paid five million actors $100 million each, as claimed, the total would amount to a staggering $500 trillion, per Snopes.
Hungarian-American billionaire businessman Soros has been a staunch critic of Trump. In 2017, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Soros called Trump "an imposter, a [political] conman and a would-be dictator".
During the 2016 campaign, Soros donated around $10M to Trump rival Hillary Clinton, per BBC.
This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online
