Trump post on nominating judge in docs case for Supreme Court is fabricated | Fact check

Andre Byik, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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The claim: Image shows Trump post offering SCOTUS nomination to judge in classified documents case

An April 9 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a screenshot of a Truth Social post supposedly from former President Donald Trump.

"Judge Cannon, a great patriot and fine judge, made an excellent decision in our case against CORRUPT AND LOONEY JACK SMITH and his dirty tactics," reads the purported post. "Not since KING DAVID has a Judge adjudicated a more Wise Decision! When I win – AGAIN – I NEVER LOST – I will make Judge Cannon a SUPREME COURT JUSTICE as soon as a vacancy is made. I will remake the SUPREME COURT so that these WITCH HUNTS by CORRUPT MEN will never happen again in our Great Country! MAGA!"

Aileen Cannon is the federal judge overseeing Trump's classified documents criminal case.

The Facebook post includes text that reads, "TRUMP IS OPENLY OFFERING BRIBES TO JUDGES AND STILL NOTHING. HAPPENS."

A similar post was shared more than 300 times before it was deleted.

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Our rating: Altered

The image is fabricated. No such post appears on Trump's Truth Social account, though he has defended Judge Cannon from what he called attempts to harass and intimidate her.

Image of fabricated post circulated in November 2023

Jack Smith is the Justice Department special counsel leading the classified documents case against Trump, who was charged in June 2023 with illegally holding onto sensitive national security documents. Cannon, a Trump appointee, is overseeing the case in Fort Pierce, Florida. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

While Trump has taken to his Truth Social social media platform to defend Cannon from what he called attempts by officials in President Joe Biden's administration to intimidate and harass her, there is no evidence he promised to nominate her for the Supreme Court should he win the 2024 presidential election.

The purported social media post could not be found on Trump's Truth Social account, nor are there any legitimate news reports of the former president making the statement.

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The image of the fabricated post originally circulated in November 2023, the same month independent fact-checkers such as Reuters and Check Your Fact found no evidence Trump made the post.

The Facebook user who shared the image did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fabricated Trump post about Aileen Cannon resurfaces | Fact check