Misleading Video of US Protests Circulates on Social Media
··1 min read
Social media users widely shared a video on October 18, 2026, purporting to display recent large-scale protests against former US President Donald Trump. The video, accompanied by claims of nationwide demonstrations, has been identified as old footage from October 19, 2025.
The video, which was shared with hashtags such as #ترامب and #NoKings, showed protests in multiple US cities. However, a reverse image search revealed that the footage was from protests organized by the 'No Kings' movement in October 2025. The protests were against what participants described as Trump's authoritarian policies. The video was also shared incorrectly in March 2026, coinciding with a new wave of protests by the movement in several US states.
The 'No Kings' movement is an American protest coalition that emerged during Trump's presidency. The movement has been organizing protests to encourage early voting among American voters. The recent sharing of the old video coincides with the movement's planned protests in multiple US cities on October 17, 2026, aimed at encouraging participation in the upcoming midterm congressional elections scheduled for November 3, 2026.
Fact-checkers have confirmed that the video is from protests that occurred in 2025, not from recent demonstrations. The misinformation spread alongside the video has been debunked, clarifying that the protests shown are not from the current period.
CONTEXT: The resurgence of this video highlights the ongoing political tensions and the use of social media to spread both accurate and misleading information about political activities. The 'No Kings' movement's efforts to mobilize voters ahead of the midterm elections underscore the significance of grassroots activism in shaping political outcomes.
