We fact-checked a fake, viral video with a Trump supporter

Misleading content shared by Trump and his team is often defended as humor. But his supporters aren't always in on the joke.
When CNN's Donie O'Sullivan went to a Trump rally in Bemidji, Minnesota, grievances against social media platforms Twitter and Facebook were a common refrain.
Many of the President's supporters told CNN that they felt the platforms' fact-checking processes were biased against conservative viewpoints. Others discussed social media posts that contained manipulated media as if they were real.
"Like when Joe Biden fell asleep during a live interview on television," one supporter recalled, describing a video that went viral only a few weeks prior to the rally.
The video — which appears to show Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden sleeping as a TV news anchor repeats, "Wake up!" — was shared on Twitter by White House social media director Dan Scavino.
But the video was fake.
It was achieved by splicing together real footage of a 2011 interview between journalist Leyla Santiago, now of CNN, and entertainer and activist Harry Belafonte with footage of Biden looking down, his eyes appearing at least partially closed, to make it appear as if he were snoozing. An audio track of loud snoring was placed on the video to complete the effect.
When the video was fact-checked by news outlets, including CNN, and eventually labeled as "manipulated media" by Twitter, prominent Trump supporters complained that it was an obvious joke and a meme.
Asked last week why Trump shares fake videos and baseless conspiracy theories about Biden, Tim Murtaugh, Trump campaign communications director, invoked a meme defense.
"You call it a fake video. What it is is an internet meme," he said. "Those are very frequently done to make a political point."
The joke was lost on Chris, the Trump supporter in Bemidji, who apparently believed the video was real footage. He acknowledged, "I missed that one," when he was shown how the video had been manipulated.
But the fact the video was faked didn't change his impression of Biden because he believed something like that could happen, Chris said.
Chris said he did not want to share his last name.
The dissemination of misleading videos about Biden by the Trump campaign in an effort to make the Democratic presidential nominee seem confused or senile has happened repeatedly.

#2020Election #CNN #DonieOSullivan

[wayneparr]

“Most people are not just comfortable with their ignorance, but hostile to anyone who points it out.” - Plato

[Mango.Bandicoot]

"Respect law enforcement"

But also: "The FBI is lying."

[ChildofC-]

“They call me ignorant” 😂😂 BECAUSE YOU ARE!!

[kurttuchscherer]

The problem with these people is not that they are wrong. They know that they are. They just refuse to admit that someone else is right.

[rowleybirken]

The guy who watching the sleeping video get debunked looked like his world fell apart when he realised it was fake

[jeffreychavez]

I have to say this again: Trump is living proof that a con man doesn’t have to be smart if his victims are stupid enough.

[jerrymclellan]

"I missed that one", and thirty thousand other Trump lies.

[patricktaylor]

So basically thier argument is "I reject reality and I will insert my own".

[do]

"Their fact-checkers are wrong" because they disagree with me.

[tomr]

stupid people don't like to be called stupid but have no issue with being stupid.

[joshuagharis]

"The fact checker's wrong". About sums up the GOP voters

[hayabusa]

"It's fake. See look..."
"Yes I see, but I wouldn't doubt it."
"Well that's why they made it for....never mind. Carry on lad."

[ivancampuzano]

“It's hard to win an argument with a smart person, but it's damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person.” – Bill Murray

[garrettsnedaker]

"I missed that one." No, dude, you missed all of them.

[ToddPataky]

"That happened."

"No, it didn't. Here's the proof."

"Oh. Okay. But it was funny and it could happen. So I'm not going to change my mind on anything."

[beverlyvriesenga]

The worst part about all this is the disgraceful way in which the American flag is displayed.

[JimWelniak]

This is what the poor funding of education in this country has done.

[surfingllamaslk]

The facts don’t align with my beliefs therefore, they must be wrong.

[jobutl]

Stupid is as stupid does. Unfortunately these people are brainwashing their kids into believing the same things.

[immu]

its like going to a stupidity contest, and everyone is aiming to be #1...