Trump Calls Ford’s Theatre Story a Media and Democratic Fabrication
Trump accuses the press and Democrats of inventing false stories about him and demands what he calls a free and fair press.
WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump accused the news media and Democrats of fabricating what he called the “Ford’s Theatre Lie,” framing it as part of a coordinated effort to spread false stories about him. Trump tied the claim to a broader grievance about press coverage, saying such conduct should not be permitted and that the country needs an honest press. He offered no additional detail about the specific story he referenced.
“Our Country is desperately seeking a Free and Fair Press,” Trump said in the post, casting the dispute as a national concern rather than a personal complaint. The post fits a recurring theme in Trump’s messaging, in which he casts unfavorable coverage as coordinated political attacks tied to the Democratic Party.
Here is the full post on truthsocial: “The Ford’s Theatre Lie is just another example of how the Fake News Media and the Dumocrats conspire together to make up false stories about “Trump.” Shouldn’t be allowed to happen. Our Country is desperately seeking a Free and Fair Press! President DJT” on September 24, 2026 at 8:20 AM ET.
This is Trump’s 4th message released today, and the last post was 55 minutes ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 23 of his 530 posts over the last 30 days classified as media bias posts.
The complaint echoes claims the White House has advanced about coverage it labels false. The administration compiled a list of stories it called hoaxes during Trump’s second term, framing them as a “nonstop deluge of hoaxes and lies from Democrats and their allies in the Fake News,” according to whitehouse.gov. That document catalogued disputes over reporting on subjects ranging from Arlington Cemetery burial lists to claims about NASA astronauts, according to whitehouse.gov.
President Donald J. Trump accused the news media and Democrats of fabricating a story about Ford's Theatre at Washington D.C.
© copyright Flickr with permission
Allies of the president have made similar arguments about coordination between Democrats and the press. A Newsweek opinion piece argued that mainstream outlets amplified an Atlantic story about Trump’s 2018 visit near Paris that firsthand witnesses disputed, saying more than 10 administration officials went on the record to refute the account, according to newsweek. The same piece asserted that the media had revealed itself as “nothing more than the communications arm of the Democratic Party,” according to newsweek.
The wider environment around political claims and coverage has drawn attention from disinformation researchers. Pro-Kremlin sites masquerading as U.S. news outlets circulated unfounded claims that Democrats plotted to assassinate Trump, part of an explosion of AI-powered propaganda ahead of the 2024 election, according to scmp. Hundreds of fake media outlets proliferated in recent months, outnumbering American newspaper sites in a trend eroding trust in traditional media, according to scmp.
The post did not identify who will respond to the accusation or when any specific claim about Ford’s Theatre might be addressed. Trump named no reporter, outlet, or Democratic official tied to the disputed story, and no date for any response has been announced.
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