FACT CHECK: X Video Falsely Claims To Show Donald Trump Discussing Imran Khan
A video shared on X purports to show 2024 presumptive Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump saying he will try to get former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan released from prison if he wins the 2024 election.
If I win the election, I will bring Imran Khan out of jail and bring him back to the government. Donald Trump has won the hearts of Pakistanis.#DonaldTrump❤️ pic.twitter.com/NjWwl5O56k
— Daily Outpost (@Dailyoutpost) March 23, 2024
Verdict: False
The video is a “deepfake.” In the original video, published by NBC News in 2017, Trump discusses his plans to fire then-Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey with anchor Lester Holt.
Fact Check:
New York Judge Juan Merchan has issued a gag order on Trump ahead of his trial related to alleged hush money payments set to begin next month, according to CNN. Trump responded to Merchan’s gag order, calling it “illegal,” “un-American,” and “unconstitutional,” The Associated Press reported.
“Hello my Pakistani-American friends. I promise if I win [the 2024 presidential election], I will try my best to get Imran Khan out of jail as soon as possible. He is my friend. I love him. I will support him to take over the government again,” Trump appears to say in the X video. “Donald Trump has won the hearts of Pakistanis,” the X video’s caption reads in part.
The claim is false, however. In the original video, published by NBC News in 2017, Trump discusses his plans to fire then-FBI Director Comey with Holt. At no point does Trump mention Khan. (RELATED: Facebook Post Claims Donald Trump Is Selling ‘Holy Oil’ To Fund His Legal Bills)
Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. In fact, the opposite is true. Logically Facts also reported the claim as false, labeling the X video as a “deepfake” via a Mar. 27 article. Additionally, Trump has neither commented on the claim via his TRUTH Social account nor his website.
Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, also has not publicly commented on the claim.
Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Pakistani court for “revealing official secrets” back in January, according to The Associated Press. The former Pakistani Prime Minister “was accused of exposing state secrets by waving a confidential document at a rally,” the outlet reported. Khan was voted out of office in 2022.
Check Your Fact has contacted Cheung for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.