Fact Check: Did Trump warn Americans to prepare for an outage in a social media post?
WASHINGTON, DC: A rumor circulating on social media claims President Donald Trump warned Americans to prepare for an outage and stock up on supplies, citing intelligence reports.
The claim has mostly drawn mockery and criticism from online users, while some remain sceptical and have called for a fact-check.
Claim: Donald Trump warned people to prepare for an outage
The claim surfaced in the form of a screenshot, appearing to show a post by Trump on his official Truth Social handle.
The alleged post read, “URGENT: New intelligence and global developments indicate there could be serious disruptions to our food supply, banking system, and critical services in the coming weeks."
It read, "To protect your family, I strongly recommend that Americans take the following steps immediately: Stock up on at least 90 DAYS of food, water, and essential supplies. Withdraw your cash from the bank and keep it on hand."
"Be prepared for potential internet and cell service outages. This is about being prepared, not panicking. The risks are real, and it's better to be ready now than to be caught off guard later," Trump added. "I want to thank Diane Cavoto, who has been sounding the alarm on this for months. She has been right, and her guidance has helped many Americans get prepared. Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J TRUMP.”
The screenshot appeared on multiple platforms such as X, Threads, and Facebook, garnering millions of views.
While many appear to believe it to be an authentic post by Trump, few others dismissed it as fake and called for a fact check.
Donald Trump made no such post
The screenshot, however, is fake and fabricated, as no such post exists on his official Truth Social handle.
A search on the platform, as well as on commentary X accounts that automatically archive all his Truth Social posts, yielded no results that match the wording in the screenshot.
If Trump had really posted and then deleted it, it would not go unreported by credible news outlets, but a search on Google for the claim yielded no such media reports.
A similar rumor surfaced a few days ago in the form of a video clip, claiming that Trump announced a 90-day blackout and encouraged viewers to invest in a cryptocurrency token, claiming it could help them earn money during the outage. But the claim has been debunked by fact-checkers.
