A recent post on Threads falsely claimed that former President Donald Trump froze for 21 seconds during a speech at his rally in Bozeman, Montana, on August 9, 2024. The claim quickly spread across social media, comparing Trump to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has experienced two well-documented incidents where he appeared to freeze during public appearances. However, this comparison is misleading and the claim about Trump has been thoroughly debunked.
The Viral Claim
On August 10, 2024, a post on Threads alleged that Trump “froze up” while delivering a speech, stating, “Looks like Don Old has tied Mitch the Glitch’s record for locking up on camera.” The post included a video clip that supposedly shows Trump standing still for an extended period, creating the illusion that he had suddenly frozen in the middle of his address. The post suggested that this was evidence of cognitive decline, similar to McConnell’s previous incidents.
What Really Happened
The truth is far less sensational. During his rally in Bozeman, Trump was delivering his speech when he noticed a commotion in the crowd. At the 16:12 minute mark in the full C-SPAN footage, Trump stopped his speech to ask if a doctor was present to assist with what appeared to be a medical emergency. Trump then paused, waiting for the situation to be addressed.
This is what actually happened:
- Trump asked, “A doctor, please? Doctor in the house? Thank you, thank you very much.”
- He continued to wait for more than a minute, making sure the situation was under control.
- The video clip circulating on Threads cuts out this context, showing only Trump standing still, which creates a misleading narrative.
The Debunk
Forbes later reported that Trump was indeed responding to a medical emergency in the audience. The Threads post was flagged as part of Meta’s misinformation efforts, as the claim was based on a distorted video clip that removed all relevant context.
This incident underscores the importance of context when interpreting social media claims. While the video may seem convincing at first glance, a closer examination reveals that Trump did not “freeze up” due to any medical issue but was simply pausing out of concern for an audience member’s well-being.
