MSG marquee with profane anti-Trump message is a fabrication | Fact check

The claim: Image shows profane anti-Trump message on Madison Square Garden marquee before rally

An Oct. 27 Threads post (direct link, archive link) appears to show a profane message on a Manhattan arena's marquee that attacks former President Donald Trump before the Republican presidential nominee's rally there.

The message purportedly on the venue's electronic screen reads, "F--- Trump" with an image of an obscene hand gesture in place of one of the letters in the profanity.

“New Yorkers are all set for Trump's Madison Square Garden Nazi rally today,” the post’s caption reads.

The Threads post received more than 1,000 likes in three days. Similar versions of the claim also circulated widely.

More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

Our rating: Altered

The image was digitally edited to change the message on the sign. The message in the original image from 2020 reads, “We (heart symbol) New York.”

Marquee in original image shows pro-New York message

Trump and Democratic rival Kamala Harris are in a neck-and-neck race for the presidency. Looking to deliver his closing message to voters, Trump held a rally Oct. 27 at Madison Square Garden.

Fact check: Partly false claim Trump canceled CNN town hall, NRA rally and other events

The image shared to Threads shows the marquee outside the arena but was digitally edited to change its message.

The undoctored photo was distributed by Getty Images in April 2020 and shows the sign’s message reading, “We (heart symbol) New York.” The caption indicates it shows the view outside Madison Square Garden early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Other elements in the image – including ads for Chase and Verizon, the “3:05” time on the clock and the discolored panel with the word “Madison” on it – are identical in both versions.

USA TODAY previously debunked false claims that an image shows the crowd outside Madison Square Garden hours before the rally and that a separate image shows a Trump post saying “I hate Adolf Hitler.”

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the claim but did not immediately receive a response.

PolitiFact also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

• Getty Images, April 22, 2020, New York City Continues To Idle During Coronavirus Shutdown

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Image of marquee edited to show vulgar anti-Trump message | Fact check