After spending years attacking what he calls the “fake news media,” former president Donald Trump is now literally sharing fake news. In at least two instances, he has shared edited versions of Newsweek articles, quietly snipping away tidbits that he deems unnecessary.
On Wednesday, the president shared a screenshot of a Newsweek story—though something was undeniably off about its contents.
Trump’s version, shared on his TruthSocial account, omits a lede references the outcome of the 2020 election (which Joe Biden won), and cuts a line about to the “81-year-old” Biden being seen as too old to run for president. Trump is 77 years old.
And on Tuesday, MeidasTouch caught him altering another piece by the weekly news magazine, posting screenshots of an article titled “Donald Trump Poised to Be First Republican to Win Popular Vote in 20 Years,” again failing to disclose that he had removed several sections from the original story that referenced Biden’s strengths as a candidate, Biden’s predicted wins, and Trump’s failures.
Among Trump’s myriad revisions included the exclusion of a line stating that Newsweek had reached out to Trump representatives for a comment. He also conflated two paragraphs from the original into one. In the process, he removed a detail that he “notably failed to secure” the popular vote against Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election; removed another line on how George W. Bush was the last Republican president to secure the popular vote; and snipped comments from several academics, including one by University of Surrey professor Dr. Mark Shanahan dubbing Trump’s goal of winning the popular vote a “pipe dream.”
Further into the article, Trump removed an NBC poll reference that found Biden will be seen as “competent and effective” and lead with 2 points if Trump is convicted of a felony.
In recent months, Trump has increasingly shared content onto his social media platform from far-right outlets like Newsmax and Right Side Broadcasting Network. Considering his 91 criminal charges, recent major trial losses, and rickety political platform, perhaps media manipulation is the only way the GOP front-runner can get the kind of press he desires in well-regarded outlets.