According to Mediate, over the weekend, one of the most prominent pro-Donald Trump Twitter accounts was involved in a controversy surrounding a viral tweet that had altered audio. The tweet in question attempted to downplay the negative reaction former President Trump received at an Iowa college football game.
Donald Trump attended the Iowa-Iowa State college football game at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, and as is often the case at public appearances, there was a mix of crowd reactions. Trump encountered both cheers and a significant amount of booing from the crowd.
A member of the Trump campaign’s communications team shared several videos from Trump’s visit to Iowa on Saturday. In one of these clips, it is evident that there was loud booing as Trump entered the stadium, alongside cheers and other crowd noises.
However, a popular pro-Trump Twitter account, “il Donaldo Trumpo,” shared a video of the same event with manipulated audio. The audio had been doctored to replace the loud boos with cheers, essentially altering the reality of the crowd’s reaction.
Conservative Townhall writer John Hasson was among the first to notice that the viral clip gaining traction within the MAGA (Make America Great Again) right had been manipulated, with the audio tampered or replaced. Matt Whitlock, a seasoned Republican communications professional, also pointed out the altered audio and posted a comparison between the original and doctored clips.
The tweet containing the manipulated clip gained significant traction within the MAGA community, with numerous pro-Trump accounts sharing and resharing it in an attempt to portray a more positive reception for Trump than what actually occurred.
This incident highlights the ongoing challenges of misinformation and manipulation in the age of social media, where content can quickly go viral and influence public perception, often with significant consequences for the truth and discourse.
https://twitter.com/Latinos4Trump/status/1700638383939141725?s=20
BOOOOOOOM!!!🥳🥳🥳 pic.twitter.com/aeQ7FrwTMp
— il Donaldo Trumpo (@PapiTrumpo) September 9, 2023
Nothing says “confidence” like adding in fake crowd approval to videos of Trump during a rare public appearance.
Compare the real audio with some clear boos (shared by @RSBNetwork) to the doctored video with added cheers shared by Trump supporters. pic.twitter.com/X2POiAXIdf
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) September 9, 2023
