logo
Fact Check: Video of woman saying she was paid to attend anti-Trump rally is satire

Fact Check: Video of woman saying she was paid to attend anti-Trump rally is satire

Reuters29-04-2025

A video of a woman saying she was paid to attend the "Hands Off" protest against U.S. President Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk is satire.
Protesters gathered in cities across the U.S. and Europe on April 5 to rally against the Trump administration's overhaul of the U.S. government and also against its tariffs policy.
The video, opens new tab of a woman sharing her experience of getting paid for attending a protest was posted on social media with the caption, "'Hands Off' Anti-Trump / Elon Musk Protests paid people to attend."
A comment under a post sharing the video said: "I don't care how much they pay. Making an idiot out of yourself and lowering your standards is not worth it. Shame on all that did this."
However, the video was initially posted on the TikTok account @redsaidblue, whose bio says, "SATIRE account. Don't believe what you see on the internet.'
In the video, the woman says she was asked to meet at a specified time and place and find a "girl with blue hair and a nose ring". The woman adds she was told she "couldn't wear anything MAGA" and asked not to wear red.
She adds that she had to answer a questionnaire correctly to get paid. One question the woman mentioned is, "Why do Republicans want more women to stay home and not work and not have jobs?"
The TikTok creator later said in a separate video, captioned "SATIRE—regrettable", that she had thought the video she posted was "obviously satire" and apologized., opens new tab"I'm sorry. It was satire, it was a joke, it was not real," she said, adding that she had removed the video from her account.
The TikTok account @redsaidblue did not respond to a request for comment.
VERDICT
Satire. The video of a woman saying she was paid to attend an anti-Trump protest is satirical.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump's toxic feud with Musk is the greatest show on Earth – & I have a hunch about President's ‘terrifying' next move
Trump's toxic feud with Musk is the greatest show on Earth – & I have a hunch about President's ‘terrifying' next move

The Sun

time15 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Trump's toxic feud with Musk is the greatest show on Earth – & I have a hunch about President's ‘terrifying' next move

DONALD TRUMP versus Elon Musk pitches the world's most powerful man against one of the richest. Two big beasts kicking lumps out of each other. How can it be anything less than the greatest show on Earth? 6 6 This is Godzilla v Kong, a Rumble in the Washington Jungle, the Thriller in the Twittersphere. Did any bromance in history ever go so sour so quickly? In comparison to Trump and Musk's furious feud, Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings look like Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson sadly going their civilised separate ways. There is no spat more toxic, spiteful and below-the-belt than the row that is conducted online. And the war of words between the POTUS and the wild-eyed titan of Tesla went thermo-nuclear on X, formerly known as Twitter, the digital soap box owned by Mr Musk himself. 'Time to drop a really big bomb,' Elon jeered on X, before accusing Trump of being in files related to the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. 'That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!' That's when the gloves came off. That's when the trembling finger pressed down hard on the red doomsday button. That's when it got really nasty. Trump was famously friendly with fellow Big Apple big shot Epstein, but the Orange King has largely remained untouched by that particular scandal until now — unlike, say, the royal prince formerly known as Randy Andy. But Elon Musk has gleefully pulled open a can of very nasty worms. And the watching world can only gawp at the spectacle and wonder how Mr President will retaliate. Because — like Godzilla taking one in the cakehole from King Kong — you know that retaliation is a stone-cold certainty. The falling out between Trump and Musk was meant to be about policy — about differences of opinion over Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' which, Elon believes, will massively increase US debt. By bringing the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein on stage, Musk has brazenly chosen to make it about other things. Whatever next? Perhaps we will learn the truth about the black eye that Musk was sporting when he bid an emotional formal farewell to Trump in the White House. Elon's shiner was meant to come from some horseplay with his five-year-old son, X. Really? The five-year-old Mike Tyson could not give you a black eye like that. 'Time to drop a really big bomb' Come on, Mr President — tell us what really happened. Like Japan at Pearl Harbor, Elon Musk has started a war that he can never win. For all the racy revelations that the eccentric electric car maker has up his sleeve, Donald Trump has the power to make his life very difficult indeed. And you just know that he will. Roll up, roll up to see these two gigantic egos rolling around in the digital gutter. The man with all the power v the man with all the money. Although — guessing here — I have a hunch that the maker of the electric vehicle which has been branded the Swasticar is about to get poorer every day. Trump, that Tango-tinted tease, is now openly musing 'the easiest way to save money is to terminate Elon's governmental subsidies and contracts'. Who knows what damage will be done to the orange Godzilla and the plug-in King Kong? Perhaps we should be terrified. But are we not entertained? PRESIDENT Trump has repeatedly said that Ukraine 'holds no cards' in its war for freedom against Russia. But last Sunday, Ukraine launched a stunning drone operation at multiple airfields deep inside Russia, destroying dozens of heavy bombers. Here are cards Ukraine holds, Mr President. Bravery. Ingenuity. Courage. Audacity. And the fact that Ukraine is fighting for its survival. Ukraine is mass-producing vast numbers of cheap drones — 150 drones that cost just $4,000 each destroyed Russian aircraft valued at $7billion. With the death toll of Russian forces expected to pass the one million mark during its summer offensive, Trump should ask what leverage his pal Putin holds, beyond the willingness to sacrifice any number of Russian lives in his meat grinder. Ukraine has freedom on its side. That will always be the greatest motivation of all. Ballerina reviews are a World Of pain for Ana HOLLYWOOD does not know what to do with Ana de Armas. She dazzles as a supporting actress – as a sexbot in Blade Runner 2049, as a good-hearted home help in Knives Out, as the ultimate Bond girl in No Time To Die – but is less than impressive when she is carrying a film. 6 6 The reviews for Ana's From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina are shockingly bad. 'I would watch Ana open a crisp packet,' posts one defiant fan. Me too. But it would probably be more fun than Ana's latest turkey. PRIDE IN OUR DAVID DAVID BECKHAM has been our national game's greatest ambassador since Bobby Moore. If you feel that you have watched Becks grow up, you have. Beckham, who is now to be knighted, has a showreel in our national consciousness. The floppy-haired kid from Chingford scoring for Manchester United against Wimbledon from the halfway line in 1996. The England player who – blond locks flying with youthful petulance – became a national pariah after getting sent off against Argentina in 1998. And then, that handsome head-shaved man, single-handedly dragging his country into the 2002 World Cup with a laser-guided free kick against Greece. Beckham in the white of Madrid, the black-and-red stripes of AC Milan, the blue of Paris Saint-Germain. Beckham . . . always working harder than anyone else. A credit to England, his sport and Chingford. His knighthood is totally deserved, and it will be a source of pride and joy after all the recent headlines about the kind of rifts that happen in the best of families. The family feuds will fade away. The memories of the football will endure for ever. NATION TIRED LABOUR came to power with just 33.7 per cent of the vote, the lowest share of any party forming a post-war majority government. Meaning despite their landslide, most of us didn't vote for Labour. It has always been very presumptuous for Starmer and other comrades to deliver their dreary sermons with rows of manufacturing workers as extras. And when Chancellor Rachel Reeves visited the Mellor Bus factory in Rochdale, speaking about the mess left by the Tories, one young worker appeared to be dying of boredom. As the hour-long speech dragged on, he looked like he wanted to simply go back to work. And without saying a word, that man spoke for the nation. IT is a shock to learn that Morten Harket, the lead singer of A-ha, has Parkinson's disease at the age of 65. The announcement was made on the band's official website with grace, calm and dignity. 6 A model of quiet optimism, and a man totally lacking in self-pity, Morten will be an inspiration to many who suffer – or watch their loved ones suffer – from this cruel disease. 'Don't worry about me,' he smiles. Ah, but we will, Morten. COPS, STICK TO JOB AHEAD of next week's government spending review, the country's senior policemen darkly warn Sir Keir Starmer that their forces will face 'stark choices' about what crimes they investigate if the Treasury pushes ahead with spending cuts. Oh no! Do these top cops mean that they are going to have to cut back on the millions the police currently blow on woke diversity schemes? Er, no. They are threatening to cut back frontline policing. You know, actually catching bad people. Cue mocking laughter from the British people. Because there are already multiple crimes – shoplifting, phone theft, burglary – that the police have effectively given up on. I am all for giving the police the funding they need to do the job of protecting us. But the law needs to start focusing on the crimes that matter. Burglaries, not tweets. Muggings, not social media rants. Evil, violent people robbing in the real world – not keyboard warriors in digital Dodge City. More catching bad guys. Less virtue signalling. When will these cretinous Chief Constables ever learn? Get our cops back on the streets. Because policing can't be done online. TWO Love Island hunks have been questioned by police – one for the theft of a mobile phone, the other for a machete attack – but both were released with no further action taken. Which is a relief. I was starting to worry the new Love Island series might be held on Alcatraz.

Trump says Elon Musk could face ‘serious consequences' if he backs Democrats
Trump says Elon Musk could face ‘serious consequences' if he backs Democrats

Glasgow Times

time25 minutes ago

  • Glasgow Times

Trump says Elon Musk could face ‘serious consequences' if he backs Democrats

Mr Trump told NBC's Kristen Welker in a phone interview that he has no plans to make up with tech entrepreneur Mr Musk. Asked specifically if he thought his relationship with the mega-billionaire chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX was over, Mr Trump responded: 'I would assume so, yeah.' 'I'm too busy doing other things,' Mr Trump continued. 'You know, I won an election in a landslide. I gave him (Mr Musk) a lot of breaks, long before this happened, I gave him breaks in my first administration, and saved his life in my first administration, I have no intention of speaking to him.' The US President also issued a warning amid speculation that Mr Musk could back Democratic legislators and candidates in the 2026 mid-term elections. 'If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that,' Mr Trump told NBC, though he declined to share what those consequences would be. Mr Musk's businesses have many lucrative federal contracts. The US President's latest comments suggest Mr Musk is moving from close ally to a potential new target for Mr Trump, who has aggressively wielded the powers of his office to crack down on critics and punish perceived enemies. As a major government contractor, Mr Musk's businesses could be particularly vulnerable to retribution. Mr Trump has already threatened to cut Mr Musk's contracts, calling it an easy way to save money. The dramatic rupture between the President and the world's richest man began this week with Mr Musk's public criticism of Mr Trump's 'big beautiful bill' pending on Capitol Hill. Mr Musk has warned that the bill will increase the federal deficit and called it a 'disgusting abomination'. Mr Trump criticised Mr Musk in the Oval Office, and before long, he and Mr Musk began trading bitterly personal attacks on social media, sending the White House and Republican congressional leaders scrambling to assess the fallout. As the back-and-forth intensified, Mr Musk suggested Mr Trump should be impeached and claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the President's association with infamous paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Mr Trump's spending plans appeared to cause the rift initially (AP) Mr Musk appeared by Saturday morning to have deleted his posts about Epstein. In an interview, US vice president JD Vance tried to downplay the feud. He said Mr Musk was making a 'huge mistake' going after Mr Trump, but called him an 'emotional guy' who was becoming frustrated. 'I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear,' Mr Vance said. Mr Vance called Mr Musk an 'incredible entrepreneur,' and said that Mr Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which sought to cut US government spending and laid off or pushed out thousands of workers, was 'really good'. Mr Vance made the comments in an interview with 'manosphere' comedian Theo Von, who last month joked about snorting drugs off a mixed-race baby and the sexuality of men in the US Navy when he opened for Mr Trump at a military base in Qatar. The Vance interview was taped on Thursday as Musk's posts were unfurling on X, the social media network the billionaire owns. During the interview, Mr Von showed the vice president Mr Musk's claim that Mr Trump's administration has not released all the records related to Epstein because Mr Trump is mentioned in them. Vice President Vance on what it's like to be Trump's VP: 'It is my job, obviously, to provide the President honest counsel…he talks to everybody. I think it's why he's in touch with normal people.' — Vice President JD Vance (@VP) June 7, 2025 Mr Vance responded to that, saying: 'Absolutely not. Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein.' 'This stuff is just not helpful,' Mr Vance said in response to another post shared by Mr Musk calling for Mr Trump to be impeached and replaced with Mr Vance. 'It's totally insane. The President is doing a good job.' Vance also defended the bill that has drawn Mr Musk's ire, and said its central goal was not to cut spending but to extend the 2017 tax cuts approved in Mr Trump's first term. The bill would slash spending and taxes but also leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance and spike deficits by 2.4 trillion dollars (£1.77 trillion) over the decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. 'It's a good bill,' Mr Vance said. 'It's not a perfect bill.'

Trump says Elon Musk could face ‘serious consequences' if he backs Democrats
Trump says Elon Musk could face ‘serious consequences' if he backs Democrats

Powys County Times

time25 minutes ago

  • Powys County Times

Trump says Elon Musk could face ‘serious consequences' if he backs Democrats

US President Donald Trump said he has no desire to repair his relationship with Elon Musk, and warned that his former ally and campaign benefactor could face 'serious consequences' if he tries to help Democrats in upcoming elections. Mr Trump told NBC's Kristen Welker in a phone interview that he has no plans to make up with tech entrepreneur Mr Musk. Asked specifically if he thought his relationship with the mega-billionaire chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX was over, Mr Trump responded: 'I would assume so, yeah.' 'I'm too busy doing other things,' Mr Trump continued. Alarming — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 7, 2025 'You know, I won an election in a landslide. I gave him (Mr Musk) a lot of breaks, long before this happened, I gave him breaks in my first administration, and saved his life in my first administration, I have no intention of speaking to him.' The US President also issued a warning amid speculation that Mr Musk could back Democratic legislators and candidates in the 2026 mid-term elections. 'If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that,' Mr Trump told NBC, though he declined to share what those consequences would be. Mr Musk's businesses have many lucrative federal contracts. The US President's latest comments suggest Mr Musk is moving from close ally to a potential new target for Mr Trump, who has aggressively wielded the powers of his office to crack down on critics and punish perceived enemies. As a major government contractor, Mr Musk's businesses could be particularly vulnerable to retribution. Mr Trump has already threatened to cut Mr Musk's contracts, calling it an easy way to save money. The dramatic rupture between the President and the world's richest man began this week with Mr Musk's public criticism of Mr Trump's 'big beautiful bill' pending on Capitol Hill. Mr Musk has warned that the bill will increase the federal deficit and called it a 'disgusting abomination'. Mr Trump criticised Mr Musk in the Oval Office, and before long, he and Mr Musk began trading bitterly personal attacks on social media, sending the White House and Republican congressional leaders scrambling to assess the fallout. As the back-and-forth intensified, Mr Musk suggested Mr Trump should be impeached and claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the President's association with infamous paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Mr Musk appeared by Saturday morning to have deleted his posts about Epstein. In an interview, US vice president JD Vance tried to downplay the feud. He said Mr Musk was making a 'huge mistake' going after Mr Trump, but called him an 'emotional guy' who was becoming frustrated. 'I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear,' Mr Vance said. Mr Vance called Mr Musk an 'incredible entrepreneur,' and said that Mr Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which sought to cut US government spending and laid off or pushed out thousands of workers, was 'really good'. Mr Vance made the comments in an interview with 'manosphere' comedian Theo Von, who last month joked about snorting drugs off a mixed-race baby and the sexuality of men in the US Navy when he opened for Mr Trump at a military base in Qatar. The Vance interview was taped on Thursday as Musk's posts were unfurling on X, the social media network the billionaire owns. During the interview, Mr Von showed the vice president Mr Musk's claim that Mr Trump's administration has not released all the records related to Epstein because Mr Trump is mentioned in them. Vice President Vance on what it's like to be Trump's VP: 'It is my job, obviously, to provide the President honest counsel…he talks to everybody. I think it's why he's in touch with normal people.' — Vice President JD Vance (@VP) June 7, 2025 Mr Vance responded to that, saying: 'Absolutely not. Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein.' 'This stuff is just not helpful,' Mr Vance said in response to another post shared by Mr Musk calling for Mr Trump to be impeached and replaced with Mr Vance. 'It's totally insane. The President is doing a good job.' Vance also defended the bill that has drawn Mr Musk's ire, and said its central goal was not to cut spending but to extend the 2017 tax cuts approved in Mr Trump's first term. The bill would slash spending and taxes but also leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance and spike deficits by 2.4 trillion dollars (£1.77 trillion) over the decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. 'It's a good bill,' Mr Vance said. 'It's not a perfect bill.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store