The claim: Trump stated that he is still commander-in-chief during a campaign speech
An Instagram post on Nov. 13 (direct link, archive link) features a TikTok video of former president Donald Trump giving a campaign speech.
The TikTok video includes text stating, “Trump just told everyone he IS COMMANDER In Chief… ‘I alone in this primary have borne the burden of having troops in harm’s way being CIC of the armed forces.’”
The post received over 100 likes in just nine days.
More from the USA TODAY Fact-Check Team:
Our rating: False
Trump never claimed to still be commander-in-chief in the video; rather, the full speech indicates that he was speaking about his experience as commander-in-chief of the U.S. military.
Speech taken out of context
The post contains a clip from Trump’s campaign stop in Claremont, New Hampshire on Nov. 11. During his speech there, Trump outlined broad policy ideas and made headlines by comparing his political opponents to vermin.
However, after reviewing nearly two hours of remarks recorded by C-SPAN, it is clear that the former president did not claim to still be president or commander-in-chief.
The excerpt included in the post clearly shows that Trump was referring to his previous role as commander-in-chief. In it, Trump speaks about the possibility of World War III and asserts that he alone is positioned to prevent it.
“You look at what’s going on right now in the Middle East and Ukraine, and you add it up, and we have somebody that has no clue what the hell is going on,” he says in the clip. “You’re going to end up in World War III because of this. No reason for it. Millions of people will die. I know the players. I know the job. I alone in this primary have borne the burden of having troops in harm’s way as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Armed Forces.”
Fact check: Letitia James remarks on Donald Trump misrepresented as critique of Joe Biden
Claims that Trump is still president and secretly leading the government are not new. USA TODAY previously debunked claims that President Joe Biden was arrested and Trump reinstated and that Trump and the military are running the country.
USA TODAY could not reach the user who shared the post for comment.
Reuters and Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump speech mentioned past experience as president | Fact check
