July 21, 2015

Donald Trump Just Accidentally Tweeted a Photo of a Convicted Murderer

Gary M Williams/ZUMA

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Less than a week after tweeting a campaign poster that confused men dressed in Nazi uniforms for American soldiers, Donald Trump is proving once again he is in fact not a “really smart person.”

Last night, the real estate mogul fell for an internet prank by retweeting a photo of Jeffrey MacDonald, the former army doctor who in 1979 was convicted of killing his pregnant wife and two daughters. Trump evidently confused the original tweet for an endorsement amid the backlash sparked by his comments mocking Sen. John McCain’s military record.

Nazi photos aside, this is far from the first time Trump has committed a social media gaffe. Last September, Trump fell for yet another stunt after retweeting a photo with the message, “My parents who passed away always said you were a big inspiration. Can you please RT for their memory?” The resulting retweet posted a photo of two infamous serial killers.

Though his latest remarks appeared to dip his polling numbers, Trump continues to lead polls of the Republican primary.

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Russian bots are impersonating us. Trump and his allies want to silence us. AI wants to (and does!) steal our content. The list goes on. But with 50 years of experience, we know we were built for this moment: We’re ready to keep diving deep and uncovering the truth, then getting that to you right here, completely accessible and never behind a paywall.

While our work is free to read, watch, and listen to online, it’s incredibly costly to make. Court documents, travel, research: It all adds up. Because we’re a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader support to fund our investigations. Will you stand with us in these extraordinary times, as headlines clamour for our attention and disinformation is rampant? We can’t get the truth out without you.

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