USA Today should just rename itself USA-TDS after this absurd fact-check they served up to the people about a dumb controversy related to Trump campaign merchandise.
The claim: Trump campaign shirts feature imperial eagle, a Nazi symbol
Our ruling: True https://t.co/3eCiYdgQvK
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 12, 2020
Yeah, here’s how stupid it’s getting out there:
President Donald Trump’s campaign website recently unveiled a T-shirt that has come under fire because of design similarities between its logo and a Nazi symbol.
The similarity was first noticed, according to Forward, by two Twitter accounts, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, described as a Jewish progressive group, and the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump group formed by Republicans.
“The President of the United States is campaigning for reelection with a Nazi symbol. Again,” Bend the Arc tweeted on July 1.
Several Facebook posts have noted the similarities, as well. One user noted, “Trump is now selling straight up nazi propaganda shirts.”
The campaign responded to the accusations:
“This is moronic. In Democrats’ America, Mount Rushmore glorifies white supremacy and the bald eagle with an American flag is a Nazi symbol. They have lost their minds,” Tim Murtaugh, Trump 2020 communications director, said in an email to USA TODAY.
USA Today then goes through the history of the US using an eagle, and then the history of the Nazis using the eagle. Then they concluded that the accusations are true:
Our ruling: True
The claims that a Trump campaign T-shirt has come under criticism for using a symbol similar to a Nazi eagle is TRUE, based on our research. But it is worth noting that the eagle is a common symbol in American politics, and is included in the presidential seal of the U.S., as well as many federal departments.
Notice they water down the accusation in order to lower the bar so that they can say it is true. They even had to correct their tweet to reflect the weasely language they used:
Clarification: The claim that Trump 2020 has put out a T-shirt with a symbol similar to a Nazi eagle and is being criticized for it is true. Worth noting, the eagle is a longtime US symbol, too.
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 12, 2020
Absolutely ridiculous…