Video altered to show MSNBC anchor endorsing Trump family conspiracy theory | Fact check

The claim: MSNBC reported Trump is George Patton's son

A March 2 Instagram video (direct link, archive link) shows a woman asserting the U.S. and governments worldwide have been "lying to their citizens."

The video then shows a clip of MSNBC anchor Ali Velshi explaining how various famous world leaders, including Abraham Lincoln, Benito Mussolini, Gen. George Patton and John F. Kennedy, are purportedly related.

"And where is Trump in this nutty family tree?" Velshi says. "Donald Trump is, get this, the biological son of Gen. Patton."

The post garnered more than 6,000 likes in two days. Other versions of the claim were shared on X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: Altered

The video has been edited to make it appear it says something it doesn't. The full video shows Velshi explaining a Qanon conspiracy theory. He is not endorsing or reporting the tenets of the theory as fact.

Video clipped to remove anchor's commentary

The clip featured in the Instagram comes from a November 2021 episode of Velshi's show on MSNBC in which he talked about the conspiracy theories endorsed by the fringe Qanon group. The segment in its entirety can be found on MSNBC's YouTube channel and clearly shows Velshi was describing the beliefs of the group, not reporting these beliefs as fact.

He introduced the segment by calling it a "winding road of delusion" spread by "your not-so-friendly neighborhood conspiracy cult." Qanon is widely known for its false belief that the world is run by a cabal of Satan-worshipping, cannibalistic pedophiles.

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The group's claim that Patton, the U.S. Army officer who played a pivotal role in defeating the Axis powers during World War II, is former President Donald Trump's biological father is nonsense. Trump's father was Fred Trump, a successful real estate developer, according to his White House biography. Patton died in Germany in December 1945, while Trump was born in New York in June 1946. There is no evidence the two are related.

There is likewise no credible evidence that Mussolini, Lincoln and the Kennedys are all related.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

• MSNBC (YouTube), Nov. 7, 2021, Velshi: Even “Q” Is Disavowing Some of QAnon’s Fringe Conspiracy Theories

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, MSNBC didn't report that Trump is Gen. Patton's son | Fact check