Fact Check: Viral Pic Allegedly Shows MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell at Trump Rally. Here's the Truth

Alex Kasprak
·2 min read
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Claim:

A photo that circulated in early May 2024 authentically showed Mike Lindell looking emaciated with dark circles around his eyes.

Rating:

Rating: Fake
Rating: Fake

On May 1, 2024, X account @GaryPetersonUSA shared an image purportedly showing MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a supporter of former president Donald Trump and prominent denier of 2020 presidential election results, looking emaciated with dark shadows around his eyes:

The photo went viral, with some wondering if it was actually real. This image was a heavily doctored version of a photo that indeed showed Lindell. The X account for Devil's Advocate Radio, a left-leaning Wisconsin political show, shared the original, unedited image on May 1, 2024, several hours before the viral version surfaced.

That original image showed a healthier-looking Lindell with Devil's Advocate Radio host Mike Crute at a campaign rally for Trump in Waukesha, Wisconsin, earlier that day.

@GaryPetersonUSA is a "political satire character" run by an unnamed "Youtube comedian," according to the fact-checking outlet Lead Stories. Speaking to that outlet, the person behind the account confirmed they manipulated the photo and alluded to other less-obvious easter eggs in the creation:

You can rest easy … Mike Lindell has happily not started dressing like a late night horror host, although I don't know if I trust Heckyl & Jeckyl, Dr. Richard Kinball, and the Patriot cat in the background.

… Gary is a political satire character. I'm a YouTube comedian, but a lot of that is movie based, so I created Gary to have a lot of fun with political humor.

Because the photo is doctored, Snopes classifies the image as "Fake."

Sources:

Dirr, Alison, and Scott Ash. "Former President Donald Trump's Rally in Waukesha Is Second Wisconsin Appearance in 2024." Journal Sentinel, https://www.jsonline.com/picture-gallery/news/2024/05/01/former-president-donald-trump-second-wisconsin-rally-in-waukesha-may-1-2024/73529612007/. Accessed 3 May 2024.

Fact Check: Photo Of Mike Lindell At The Waukesha Wisconsin Trump Rally Is NOT Real -- Digitally Edited | Lead Stories. 2 May 2024, https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2024/05/fact-check-photo-of-mike-lindell-at-the-waukesha-wisconsin-trump-rally-is-not-real-digitally-edited.html.

Fung, Katherine. "The Rise and Fall of Mike Lindell." Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/rise-fall-mike-lindell-1830372.