Question

Former President Donald Trump has tested positive for syphilis and gonorrhea.

Comments

This claim comes from TikTok, which right away is a social media site rather than a reliable news outlet. The user who posted the video quotes no sources in which they got the information, and there is nothing in the comments to add to it. There have also been no headlines from other news sources about the topic, let alone any official statements that have been released by the former president about his physical health. I believe this claim is false.

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Since this claim comes from tik tok I highly doubt it has any validity.

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Well for starters Tik Tok is not a valid source to find out any information. Therefore off the bat I am saying this claim is false. I am not sure how truthful Newsweek is but they go on to say doctors review pictures of President Trump with rashes on his hands and say it does not look like syphilis . They say it does look like secondary syphilis but we cannot be sure. Also yet again, if you watch the video itself, there is no way you can be sure that they are arguing over a positive STD result. This article is the only thing I can find in recent news addressing this "rumor". Therefore I can confidently say these allegations are false.

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-syphilis-rumors-doctors-weigh-1861983

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I agree that claims that come from TikTok should be treated with skepticism. None of the content presented provides any insight into his health issues. The comments on the TikTok video don't even discuss Trump, but focus on the real context of the video, which is being at Ivanka Trump's mother's funeral. I briefly searched the title of this claim on Google and found no articles supporting it. Instead, I came across a few that addressed the fact that this claim is soley just a rumor and has been known as such.

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-syphilis-rumors-doctors-weigh-1861983

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I agree tik tok is not a valid source of any information but to make your support stronger if you could provide a link or even a quote it will benefit your fact check

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Let's start by clarifying that Tik Tok is not a valid source for obtaining reliable information. I must say that this claim is false right from the beginning. Although I cannot guarantee the accuracy of Newsweek, they mention that doctors have examined pictures of President Trump's hands with rashes and have concluded that it does not resemble syphilis. They suggest it may be secondary syphilis, but there is still uncertainty. With that being said, even if you watch the video itself, there is no way to be certain that they are discussing a positive STD result. This article appears to be the only recent news addressing this "rumor". Therefore, I can confidently state that these allegations are baseless.

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-syphilis-rumors-doctors-weigh-1861983

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Tik Tok is known for spreading false information. Anybody can easily just come up with something and load it into Tik Tok. The app is known for not having regulation and being somewhat of a free-for-all. Information that is retrieved from Tik Tok is not valid without a second source. Tik Tok is not an app to retrieve primary sources of information from. There is nothing to back up this claim so therefore I would call it misleading and to be a false accusation.

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I agree that one should be skeptical of claims made on TikTok. Nothing in the material offers any explanation of his health problems. The TikTok video's actual context—being at Ivanka Trump's mother's funeral—is the main topic of discussion in the comments, which skips over any discussion of Trump. I quickly Googled the claim's title and couldn't find any publications that supported it. Rather, I found some that addressed the reality that this assertion is only a rumor and has always been treated as such.

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I agree with your reasoning, and it does seem to have very little to validate it. That being said, there are actually 2 articles from Newsweek and Yahoo News that discuss the topic. While these are not the most reputable media outlets, it's important to try to find all the contextual information you can. Great work though, I agree with your take!

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I agree that this was completely made up. TikTok should never be a news source because anyone can post on the app and make up false statements. Are there any websites saying anything about Trump having syphilis? I thought I saw a couple, although I believe them to be false. Without any concrete evidence no one should make a claim so erroneous.

Answer 1

This claim is comes from Tik Tok user ryanjoesphnetwork1, whose content consists of political video using clips sourced from CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. In this particular Tik Tok the user is claiming that Melania Trump will not touch Trump because he has an STD. 

The speculation that Trump has syphilis comes from pictures of him with red marks on his hand. An up close picture can be seen on Newsweek. In this article Newsweek investigates the rumor by talking to medical professionals. One of which was Dr. Philip Chan, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at Brown University and medical director of a publicly-funded STD clinic in Rhode Island, who told Newsweek that, "the image was 'not consistent with secondary syphilis." Dr. Chan then goes on to explain that the rash from secondary syphilis is usually evenly spread across the palms, whereas Trumps marks are isolated to one spot. An image of the usual rash from secondary syphilis can be seen here from the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/images/palmar-1.jpg

There is no evidence relating to Trump having gonorrhea. 

Due to there being no public record of Trump being diagnosed with either STD, and the marks on his hand not being consistent with secondary syphilis I would say that this claim is false. 

Sources: 

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-syphilis-rumors-doctors-weigh-1861983

https://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/images/palmar-1.jpg

Answer 2

While the red marks on Trumps hand are speculated to be syphilis, according to James Carville. There is no concrete evidence that Trump actually does have the STD. The only way to know for sure is if he got tested and publicly released the results. Which so far he has not done. For this reason the claim is false.

https://www.stdcheck.com/blog/does-trump-have-syphilis/

https://news.yahoo.com/viral-photo-donald-trumps-mystery-180143939.html

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-syphilis-rumors-doctors-weigh-1861983

Comments

I agree with your answer. Speculations can be made on the topic, but there is no definite answer based on a photo alone. Like you mentioned, tests would have to be done. I like your sources, but the first one is a bit questionable. One of the tags on the bottom of the article is "funny", so I don't know if it's the most reliable for the topic.

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Your answer is very concise and straight to the point. I agree with your answer because I could also not find any sources that proved that Trump has syphillis.

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Tom Norton, author of the Newsweek article cited, has done many fact checks in the past and seems to be a valid source for your own fact check. I appreciate the straightforwardness of your post in quickly debunking the original claim.

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I agree, I think you found valid evidence to prove the point that Donald Trump having tested positive for syphilis and gonorrhea has no real proof. Rather it is just a speculation. There were no further sources than Tik Tok that can provide misleading information.

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You have resources that back up your claim and are straight to the point . I could not find any info on Donald trump havin these STDs

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I appreciate our research on the claim regarding President Trump's alleged syphilis. The articles you provided give insight into the rumors surrounding red marks on Trump's hand and discussions about potential health implications. However, as you point out, without official confirmation from Trump himself, it remains an allegation to claim that he has syphilis.

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I agree with your assessment. The evidence gathered effectively demonstrates that the notion of Donald Trump testing positive for syphilis and gonorrhea is unsubstantiated. The absence of agreeing sources beyond TikTok, a platform known for its potential to circulate misleading information, further undermines the credibility of these claims.

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This fact check is commendable for emphasizing the importance of relying on concrete evidence rather than unsubstantiated speculations. By highlighting the lack of official test results and stressing the need for verifiable information, it promotes responsible journalism and discourages the spread of potentially false or misleading claims.

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I like with this fact check that it is able to disprove a tiktok claim. Most claims from tiktok are not reliable sources of information however since the platform is the 6th largest social media platform (source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/), I think a lot of people are inclined to just receive news from the website without doing their own research.

Answer 3

The source that originally posted this claim was not a reliable news source, but a TikTok video that provided no real evidence that former President Trump has tested positive with any STD. After researching the subject, no reliable news sources have commented or published information on the claim, and this looks to be a swirling rumor on the internet. This video is false and misleading content because there is a written claim above a video of former President Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump having less-than-loving physical behaviors. There are countless videos of Melania avoiding a handhold with her husband, this does not overtly mean that he tested positive for an STD in that particular dispute. For the public to know the results of any tests the former President has taken, he would have to directly release that information himself, which he has not. This claim is false.

Comments

The first claim came from a TikTok video, which isn't a reliable news source, and didn't show real proof that ex-President Trump has an STD. Even after checking, reputable news sites haven't said anything about it, so it seems like just a rumor online. The video tries to make it seem true by showing moments where Melania doesn't seem affectionate toward Trump, but that doesn't mean he has an STD. If Trump really got tested, he'd have to tell us himself, which he hasn't. So, the claim is just made up and not true.

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I appreciate how you pointed out a few of the arguments that people were making to be misleading and false. People are known to exaggerate things. It is also true that we cannot be sure until Trump releases it. Only thing I would suggest is showing some sources to help make your point.

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I agree that TikTok is not a reliable news source and didn't show any proof. Lots of the so-called evidence in the video doesn't line up with him having an STD at all. If he were to test positive it would be hard for the media to find out unless he came out and admitted it.

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I think you did a great job at getting straight to the point. Trump can't be confirmed for an STD until he has been tested by a medical professional and released the results to the public. The media pointing out that Melania hasn't been seen holding his hand since the photo was released is a baseless claim and fails to consider that not every interaction they have together is on camera.

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I think you make a great point in that there have been many other times when Melania Trump has been un affectionate to her husband Donald. There is no reason to think the reason is because he tested positive for an STD.

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Did you do any research on the topic? If so, always provide links to your sources and cite the information you found.

Answer 4

Former president Donald Trump has not publicly tested positive for syphilis. The original claim was derived from a TikTok video, which is an unreliable source. There are no reliable reports on this information, nor has Trump confirmed this information in any way. According to stdcheck.com, the claim that Donald Trump has syphilis is purely speculation; there is no proof of the matter. 

https://www.stdcheck.com/blog/does-trump-have-syphilis/

Comments

It's true that TikTok is an unreliable source and Trump has not confirmed this information, but is your linked source reliable? The link to the STD Check article is tagged as fun/funny, and the site itself does not have much to show for their credibility. How are you sure that you can used that article to prove this claim is false?

Answer 5

First off, no sites anywhere explain Trump having Gonorrhea. For syphilis, there are rumors, because of "red marks" on his hands according to NewsWeek. Apparently, although it seems like it could be secondary syphilis, doctors say we do not have enough information to make this big of a claim and since Trump won't speak up about it either, this statement is misleading.

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-syphilis-rumors-doctors-weigh-1861983

Answer 6

The speculations of whether or not Donald Trump has syphilis and gonorrhea have yet to be confirmed or denied. The speculations began when obvious sores were spotted on his right hand on his index finger, thumb and palm. True medical records have not been released or published to the public yet, so there is no official confirmation that Trump has these STDs.

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-syphilis-rumors-doctors-weigh-1861983

https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/donald-trumps-hand-sores-are-293362

https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/01/18/trumps-red-hand-markings-draw-wild-speculation-including-syphilis-conspiracies/?sh=4ac812bc23d4

Comments

This is a good fact-check. I believe you did a great job finding multiple sources besides relying on the fact that TikTok is not a credible source. When there is no official confirmation via medical records, we have to believe that this is false.

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How would you rate the claim? True, false, misleading, etc.? Don't forget to select a rating for each fact-check you conduct.

Answer 7

This is a misleading claim. I found on the website, Forbes, that author Sara Dorn stated, "George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences Professor Jonathan Reiner theorized on X that Trump could have injured himself, noting 'it’s not uncommon for 77 yo people to fall'” (Dorn, 2024). I also found on the website, Newsweek, that author Tim Norton states, "However, doctors who spoke with Newsweek said there was not enough information to make such a diagnosis" (Norton, 2024). I decided to look at the TikTok account that posted the claim to not be a credible source. 

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-syphilis-rumors-doctors-weigh-1861983

https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/01/18/trumps-red-hand-markings-draw-wild-speculation-including-syphilis-conspiracies/?sh=29e7149923d4

Comments

How would you rate the claim? True, false, misleading, etc.? Don't forget to select a rating for each fact-check you conduct.

Answer 8

After former President Donald Trump was seen with red bumps on his hand, an allegation of him having an STD went viral. The rumor spread throughout TikTok and news outlets. Trump has not addressed these allegations, so without him coming out and telling the media if he has an STD, specifically syphilis, then it is classified information and the TikTok cannot be made to be true or false. I did find an article where a doctor chimed in on the rumors and said his rash was not consistent with a syphilis rash. Again, no one can know for sure without Trump releasing his medical records/tests. This doctor did say, "If you look at what Trump has on his hand, it's really isolated to one spot on his hand. And that's not, really consistent I would say with secondary syphilis." With this being said, everything has been speculation and we cannot know what is true and what is false for certain. 

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-syphilis-rumors-doctors-weigh-1861983#:~:text=The%20claims%20led%20to%20widespread,to%20make%20such%20a%20diagnosis. 

Answer 9

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/donald-trump-syphilis-rumors-doctors-weigh-in/ar-BB1gXmDy

The claim that Donald Trump tested positive for syphilis and Gonorrhea is false. These claims came out when a picture of Trump was released with marks on his right hand on his way to a court hearing. These images quickly surfaced all over the social media platform X with the hashtag "SyphilisDon." Tom Norton with Newsweek wrote an article on the doctor's opinions on this. The doctors who talked with Newsweek and Norton said there was insufficient information to make this diagnosis.

Answer 10

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-syphilis-rumors-doctors-weigh-1861983

This claim originated from the account @ryanjosephnetwork1 on TikTok. He used a video taken of Trump and his wife Milanea as evidence for his claim.

The article I used to fact check this claim was written by Tom Norton of Newswire. Norton talked to many different medical doctors and got their opinion on the claim. The claim that Donald Trump has syphillis and gonorrhea may seem to be true due to the red marks on his hands being a symptom of syphillis. At the end, the doctors that spoke to Newsweek said "there was not enough information to make such a diagnosis." Other articles who have reported on the claim include Forbes, Snopes, and Yahoo News. Forbes being the most reliable and credible of these sources. The photo used in all of the articles in a real photo of the ex president. The news in this claim is current information.

Comments

Great fact check! I think that including a source that does include conversations that doctors have had is important to know that any doctors were at least analyzing the situation instead of non-medical professionals. I do however think that in general, it is important to make it clear that there is no way that Trump can be proven to have an STD unless he or his provider released STD test results .