Request For 'Seat Fillers' at Trump's Military Parade Comes Under Scrutiny
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
An advert on Craigslist that called for "seat fillers" to attend President Donald Trump's birthday military parade on Saturday has drawn suspicion, with many observers calling it fake.
The post, which called for bodies to pack the stands at Trump's event, said that it wanted "maximum perception control", and promised to pay responders in cryptocurrency for their work.
Newsweek has contacted Craigslist for more information on the post via email.
The Context
Trump has said that the White House will be hosting a military parade on Saturday, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army's founding during the American Revolutionary War, which is also the president's birthday. The parade will take place on Constitution Avenue, with seating along the side of the National Mall for viewers to see.
What To Know
The Craigslist ad, which was posted on Wednesday morning, called for "seat fillers and extras to provide their time for space maximization and attendance perception".
Participants were promised $1,000 paid in an unspecified cryptocurrency, which the ad says was provided by FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT LLC, a holding company that owns large quantities of the $TRUMP cryptocurrency launched during the 2024 election.
The ad said that drive to find spectators was organized by T-Mellon Events. The company website or name does not appear in any search engines and it has no record of working in events management.
Donald Trump, right, and then Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, left, inspect troops during a full honors welcome ceremony on the parade grounds at the Pentagon on July 25, 2019, in Arlington, Virginia.
Donald Trump, right, and then Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, left, inspect troops during a full honors welcome ceremony on the parade grounds at the Pentagon on July 25, 2019, in Arlington, Virginia.
Getty Images
The featured image on the ad is of a Russian military event, prompting many viewers to theorize that the ad is a hoax designed to make the White House look like it needs more bodies in the crowd for Trump's birthday.
The ad also requested "people of color and ethnic groups to sign up for maximum perception control," and said that "these individuals will be prominently displayed on the televised broadcast and local viewing screens to be seen by the VIP platform."
What People Are Saying
One viewer writing on X, formerly Twitter, suggested a lack of contact information meant that it was fake, saying: "No way to contact or sign up, seems like a fake ad. If not, it's useless."
Another said: "Not sure about the validity of the ad, but 'seat fillers' are actually not unheard of for televised events. They are not the crowd per se, but they can be used behind the podiums or near the main stage area."
One user on Reddit said: "I mean, it's very clearly satire. The embarrassing part is the inability to recognize a joke by probably 80 percent people here. Using five seconds of critical thought, you could easily catch that this post is fake."
What Happens Next
There are 1,800 protests planned across the country for June 14, with millions expected to attend.
Trump has said that any protesters who target the Saturday event "will be met with very heavy force."
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