Fact check: Meme is partly false about Republican National Convention speakers
The claim: Nicholas Sandmann, Michael Lindell, Dr. Stella Immanuel, Kid Rock, Scott Baio and the McCloskey couple will speak at the GOP convention
As the Democrats closed their 2020 convention and Republicans prepared for theirs, a meme mocking several unpopular GOP speaker choices began circulating online.
“In case anyone needs a laugh, here are the RNC’s featured speakers,” the meme begins and then lists “The MAGA hat kid from Covington Catholic,” “MyPillow Guy,” “The Demon Sperm Doctor,” “Kid Rock,” “Scott Baio” and “Racist gun couple.”
Above each name and nickname the meme includes a picture of six of President Donald Trump's supporters: Nicolas Sandmann, Michael Lindell, Dr. Stella Immanuel, Kid Rock, Scott Baio and the McCloskey couple. Some of those individuals are speaking and some are not.
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The meme began appearing on social media platforms on Aug. 19 and 20. The earliest post USA TODAY found was on media company Truthout's Facebook page.
Truthout has not returned USA TODAY's request for comment.
A joking post online spreads the meme's falsehoods
On Aug. 20 Fred Chong Rutherford published a post on Medium titled “The Full List of Speakers for the 2020 Republican National Convention.”
Rutherford’s list included all the nicknames and individuals listed in the meme as well as “Every Karen, including the Barbecue Lady from Last Year,” “The Bat That Started the Pandemic,” “Vladimir Putin,” “Hydroxychloroquine!,” “The Corpse of Herman Cain” and “Anal Cancer.”
The many absurd items and inanimate objects on Rutherford’s list indicate it was most likely a joke.
Rutherford told USA TODAY he had not seen the meme before publishing his post . It's unknown who created the meme, but some wrongly may have taken Rutherford's list as confirmation that the meme was credible and accurate.
"I do know I'm surprised that anyone took the list seriously – if there are people who thought that 'The Bat That Started the Pandemic' was speaking at the RNC – that would surprise me!" he said.
However, the meme being shared on social media doesn't contain those more obvious jokes and the Trump campaign's Aug. 23 speaker announcement confirms its inaccuracies.
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Nicholas Sandmann: Yes, he is speaking
"The MAGA hat kid," Nicholas Sandmann, will be speaking on the second night of the convention. Sandmann drew national attention in 2019, after a video of his interaction with an elderly Native American man went viral.
Sandmann confirmed his appearance in an Aug. 18 tweet.
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Michael Lindell: Yes, he spoke
Michael Lindell, the founder and CEO of My Pillow, has long been a vocal Trump supporter. Lindell was not on the speaker list the Trump campaign released, but he did speak and cast Minnesota’s delegates for Trump on the first day of the convention.
Lindell made headlines after getting into an on-air confrontation with CNN's Anderson Cooper regarding his advocacy for an unproven supplement, oleandrin, as an “answer to the virus.”
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Dr. Stella Immanuel: No, she is not speaking
“The Demon Sperm Doctor” refers to Dr. Stella Immanuel, a Texas doctor who’s said she believes that gynecological problems like cysts and endometriosis are caused by people having sex with demons in their dreams. Immanuel has also falsely stated that alien DNA is being used for medical treatments.
In late July, Trump faced criticism for retweeting a video that featured Immanuel sharing misinformation about COVID-19. Twitter later removed the video.
Immanuel is not on the Trump campaign's speaker list and has not indicated she would be speaking.
She has not responded to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
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Kid Rock: No, he's not scheduled to speak
Singer-songwriter Kid Rock has long been an avid Trump supporter and even played at the 2016 Republican convention. In June 2019, the pair made headlines with a golf outing.
He is not listed on the convention schedule this year.
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Scott Baio: No, he's not scheduled to speak
Scott Baio has been a vocal conservative and Trump supporter for many years. The actor, best known for his roles on “Happy Days" and "Charles in Charge,” spoke at the 2016 GOP convention and has defended Trump on Fox News several times since.
Baio is not on the list of scheduled 2020 speakers.
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The McCloskey couple: Yes, they are speaking
Mark and Patricia McCloskey became nationally known in June after they pointed guns at protesters marching outside their home in St. Louis.
The couple's lawyer confirmed they would be speaking at the RNC to NPR on Aug. 18. The McCloskeys will speak on Aug. 24 about "their commitment to personal liberty and constitutional rights."
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Our ruling: Partly False
A viral meme listing several individuals purportedly scheduled to speak at the 2020 Republican National Convention is false in some respects. The Trump campaign has confirmed that Nicholas Sandmann and the McCloskey couple will speak. Although Michael Lindell was not on the campaign's speaker list, he did speak on the first day of the convention. Kid Rock and Scott Baio are not scheduled to speak this year. There is no indication Dr. Stella Immanuel will speak. We rate this claim PARTLY FALSE because some of it is not supported by our research.
Our fact-check sources:
USA TODAY, Aug. 14, "Jennifer Hudson, Billie Eilish, John Legend and others will perform at DNC"
USA TODAY, July 19, 2016, "Top takeaways from night 1 of #RNCinCLE"
Fox News, Jan. 29, 2017, "Scott Baio talks being attacked over his support for Trump"
USA TODAY, June 29, "Missouri couple point guns at protesters calling for St. Louis mayor to resign"
NPR, Aug. 18, "St. Louis Couple Who Waved Guns At Black Lives Matter Protesters To Speak At RNC"
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Meme is partly false about GOP convention speakers
