A viral video on Facebook claims that United States President Donald Trump joined a crowd chanting “Duterte!” in support of former president Rodrigo Duterte. This is false.
The clip has nothing to do with the former Philippine president. It was taken when Trump attended a football game at the Yankee Stadium in New York City last September. Reports show that the crowd was actually shouting “U.S.A.,” not “Duterte.”
On Nov. 18, a Facebook page uploaded a nine-second video showing Trump raising his fist and clapping along with other persons in suits while loud chants can be heard from the crowd. The superimposed text in the clip read:
“Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas na may Pangulo na kinikilala na makapangyarihan bansa sa buong mundo. Nakisigaw na rin si Trump ng Du30.”
(History of the Philippines with a president who is recognized as a powerful country (sic) in the world. Trump has also shouted Du30)
The caption of the erroneous post, which included hashtags related to the former president, said:
“Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas kay PRRD na kinikilala ng Isang makapangyarihan na bansa sa buong mundo.”
(Philippine history with PRRD recognized by a powerful country in the world.)
A reverse image search reveals that the clip was taken from a longer video published by the Associated Press on YouTube last Sept. 12. The description of the original video states that it was recorded when Trump attended a football match between the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers at the Yankee Stadium.
Trump was shown multiple times on the large screen during the game, drawing a mix of cheers and boos from the audience. In a similar video, Fox News reported that the crowd chanted “U.S.A.” when Trump appeared on the jumbotron before and after the first pitch. Sports channel New York Post Sports and the United Kingdom-based The Independent likewise confirmed that spectators were shouting “U.S.A.,” not “Duterte” as claimed by the FB page and some netizens in the comment section of the false post.
The spurious clip surfaced a few days before the Nov. 28 issuance of the International Criminal Court ruling, rejecting Duterte’s appeal for his interim release. The former president remains in detention at the Scheveningen facility in The Hague, Netherlands over charges involving crimes against humanity.
As of writing, the video posted by the FB page GAP Entertainment has so far garnered 1.3 million views, 33,000 reactions, 4,800 shares and 1,100 comments.
