USA Today was ritually torn apart on Twitter this past weekend after it ‘fact checked’ as “true” claims that an official Trump 2020 t-shirt features a ‘Nazi symbol’.
The claim: Trump campaign shirts feature imperial eagle, a Nazi symbol
Our ruling: True https://t.co/3eCiYdgQvK
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 12, 2020
The t-shirt features a bald eagle clasping the US flag, a common symbol in American politics for centuries, and one that is found in many seals of government agencies, and on US money.
The idea that it is some kind of Nazi symbol was dredged up again by anti-Trump groups such as the Lincoln Project and Jewish ‘progressive’ activists Bend the Arc:
https://twitter.com/jewishaction/status/1278340461682442241
Nevertheless, USA Today effectively repeated the idiotic claim, and was quickly subject to a huge wave of condemnation, forcing it to issue a ‘clarifying’ statement:
Clarification: The claim that Trump 2020 has put out a T-shirt with a symbol similar to a Nazi eagle and is being criticized for it is true. Worth noting, the eagle is a longtime US symbol, too.
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 12, 2020
The article that the tweet links to, written by Will Peebles, admits that the eagle in the Trump t-shirt design is a stock image, and has “key differences” to the symbol used by the Nazi party in the 1930s.
Nevertheless, the ‘fact check: true’ tweet was clearly misleading click bait.
The responses were devastating:
And the US Marines… pic.twitter.com/iuYfJrDogu
— Josh (@audrum1) July 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/bojisnowqueen/status/1282272525435707392
— Geezer the Geezerian (@RJGeezer) July 12, 2020
its gunna be a long day. pic.twitter.com/cEn2iDkHTK
— shortypants (@surfglare) July 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/kmclt/status/1282302697291558912
Hi Bill – @bsternbe
How does it feel to see @USAToday become a complete joke? Will you accept an editorial explaining why people are correct to consider your organization a left-wing propagandist.
Bill runs the Editorial Page. pic.twitter.com/3NxCbRGPOR
— Lawful but awful (@toddeherman) July 12, 2020
Wut??? Have you seen the Speaker of the House's Mace??? It's been in use since 1842??? pic.twitter.com/iQrtjqfpP3
— Dog guy (@Catsorange1) July 12, 2020
Will @USATODAY confront Nancy Pelosi for using Nazi symbols as well? https://t.co/zwsrXQiI4J pic.twitter.com/RvBFpFcAgo
— Fleccas ?? (@fleccas) July 12, 2020
