Video of Trump visiting a storm-destroyed area is from 2019, not Maui fires | Fact check

Gabrielle Settles, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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The claim: Video shows Trump visiting Maui after wildfires

An Aug. 16 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows a TikTok video that features former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump walking past a FEMA truck in a disaster-struck area and talking with people in a building filled with supplies and clothes.

“THE PEOPLE'S PRESIDENT,” reads text on the screen. “Thank you Mr. Trump for checking on the people of Maui!”

The Facebook video was shared over 900 times in one day, while the original TikTok video has been shared more than 7,000 times.

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Our rating: False

The video is years old and shows the former president's 2019 visit to Alabama after a tornado damaged part of the state. Trump has not visited the Hawaiian island of Maui following the devastating wildfires there that killed more than 100 in early August.

Video shows Trump visiting Alabama in 2019

At least 110 people have died in wildfires that consumed parts of Maui, the second-largest of the Hawaiian islands, since Aug. 7. But there is no evidence the former president has visited the island.

The video shared on Facebook shows then-president Trump delivering remarks to a group of people at Providence Baptist Church in Opelika, Alabama, on March 8, 2019, after the area was struck by a tornado that caused serious damage and left 23 people dead and 90 others injured. The church was serving as a disaster relief center for those affected.

The White House shared footage of the visit on YouTube the same day. His full comments can be found in the White House’s March 8, 2019, transcript.

Fact check: US military deployed helicopters, personnel to help those in Maui

There are no credible reports that Trump has gone to visit Maui amid the island’s wildfires. However, the former president did give a video statement about the crisis.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video falsely claims Trump visited Maui amid wildfires| Fact check