Several posts on social media sites include a video clip claiming that Barack Obama rejected a gift received from Melania Trump by throwing it away. Here is an example of such a Twitter post:
This claim along with the music video has gone viral and has been circulating on various social media platforms over the past week. You can see more posts here and here.
Additionally, we found several posts from this viral clip dating back three years to 2017.
Obama rejected a gift from Trump and threw it away without inviting them.
#Black Lives Matter#YesIamISI#PakArmyReadyToEnd_Endia
pic.twitter.com/DIDV3LJWHy– mayhem_politics🤔 (@fuckin_politics)
June 8, 2020
Fact check
A viral video clip with a CNN watermark has circulated widely on various social media platforms claiming that former United States President Barack Obama launched the gift that former first lady Michelle Obama received from Melania Trump.
The clip shows Obama and Michelle receiving Donald and Melania Trump at the White House. Melania Trump is seen giving Michelle a turquoise-colored gift box which is then shown being thrown away by Obama.
The claim is shared with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter and has gone viral over the past 10 days after George Floyd, an African American man was brutally killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis in the United States. This clip was shared with similar hashtags and posts expressing racial inequality.
Through relevant keyword research, we found numerous news stories dating back to 2017 that include a similar video of Trumps and Michelle receiving at the White House.
These reports detail the Obamas hosting then-President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump for tea before Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States hours later that day in January 2017. The couples are seen greeting each other and exchanging hugs, after which Melania gives Michelle a present before they all head to the White House.
The video in New Reports linked above is very similar to the viral clip showing the couple wearing the same clothes and exchanging hugs, until Melania gives the gift box to Michelle. The point of difference is revealed when videos in news reports with a wide angle and long view show Obama walking to the door and handing the gift box to a White House staffer.
We can also confirm that Michelle received Melania’s gift from news reports almost a year later, with Michelle describing the incident while appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2018. You can watch the clip from the show below where Michelle explicitly says her husband brought the gift back inside.
Conclusion
The video clip of Barack Obama throwing away the gift received by Melania Trump is misleading. Old videos of the Obamas welcoming the Trumps before the 45th presidential inauguration in 2017 are doctored to give the wrong image. In reality, Obama is not throwing away the gift, but giving it to a White House staffer.
