Photo of white celebrities unrelated to Trump Detroit visit | Fact check
The claim: Image shows all white people picnicking at Black church where Trump spoke
A June 17 Threads post (direct link, archive link) shows a group of people, all of whom appear to be white, gathered around a table for an outdoor meal.
“The church picnic at the Black church in Detroit that DementiaDon visited,” reads the post's caption. “What do you notice?”
The post was liked more than 900 times in 10 days.
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Our rating: False
The image was not taken at the Black church in Detroit where former President Donald Trump spoke in June. It was first posted in 2023 by an actress and shows several celebrities gathered for a meal at a lodge in Idaho.
Post misrepresents photo of celebrities
Trump spoke June 15 at 180 Church in Detroit as part of an ongoing effort by his campaign to court Black voters. The audience at the event was diverse, with a mix of white and Black people, according to Reuters.
But the image shared on Threads is not related to that event. It was first posted by actress Kristen Bell on Instagram in 2023 with a caption indicating it was taken in Idaho.
The photo shows several celebrities, including CNN anchor Jake Tapper, late-night TV host Jimmy Fallon and actress Jennifer Aniston. There is no mention of any of these celebrities attending the June 15 event in Detroit.
Fact check: Photo of Black justices doesn't show panel hearing Trump appeal. It's not set yet
Bell’s Instagram post and other photos she shared from the trip were covered at the time by Today.com, which reported they were taken at a fishing lodge co-owned by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. Bell tagged the lodge in the photo.
USA TODAY could not reach the social media user who shared the claim for comment.
Lead Stories also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
Kristen Bell, July 7, 2023, Instagram post
Today.com, July 7, 2023, Kristen Bell posted an A-list group photo from Idaho that will blow your mind
South Fork Lodge, accessed June 26, Location
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Viral celebrity photo unrelated to Trump Detroit visit | Fact check
