The viral video of Trump getting slapped in a public event is edited and based on a 2016 rally clip
Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term as U.S. President on 20 January 2025, and has since been making headlines in international relations, especially concerning trade tariffs and the Middle East crisis. Amid this, a video (here, here and here) is going viral on social media showing him addressing a crowd when a man suddenly approaches and slaps him on the head, prompting a swift response from his security team. Let’s find out the truth behind this video.
Claim: The viral video shows a recent attack Donald Trump during a public gathering, where he is slapped by a man.
Fact: The video is not recent and has been digitally altered. It is actually from a Donald Trump rally in Dayton, Ohio, on 12 March 2016, where a man named Thomas Dimassimo attempted to rush to the stage. There was no physical attack or slap involved, and the man in the viral video was added through editing. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
To verify the truth, we closely examined the viral video, which appeared satirical as the person seemed to come from behind in an exaggerated manner. We extracted keyframes using InVID and conducted a reverse image search. This led us to the original version of the video uploaded by New York Daily News on 12 May 2016, titled “Secret Service Agents Rush to Protect Donald Trump as Protester Tries to Rush Stage.” The original footage matches the viral video in all aspects except the man slapping Trump, who was digitally added. Multiple angles from the same event further confirm this (here, here and here).
Using Google’s time filter and keyword search, we found several media reports (here, here and here) with the original visuals. According to these reports, during a Donald Trump rally in Dayton, Ohio, on 12 March 2016, a man named Thomas Dimassimo attempted to rush to the stage, prompting Secret Service agents to intervene and form a protective barrier around Trump. Dimassimo was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and inducing panic. The incident marked the first time agents had to physically protect Trump on stage. Despite the disruption, Trump remained composed and joked about handling the situation himself.
A side-by-side comparison of the viral and original visuals makes it clear that both videos are from the same 2016 Trump rally in Dayton, Ohio, but the viral version has been digitally altered.
Additionally, Donald Trump’s recent warnings to Iran amidst rising nuclear tensions, as well as his new tariff proposals targeting most countries, particularly China and India, have been the centre of global discussion. In the past, there was also an assassination attempt on Trump during a public gathering in July 2024, where a gunshot caused him injuries and raised serious concerns about his security. However, the viral video has no connection to any of these recent events — it is actually from a 2016 rally in Dayton, Ohio, and has been digitally altered.
To sum up, the viral video of a man slapping Donald Trump at a public event is digitally altered and actually based on a 2016 rally video.