A viral post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, claims Thomas Matthew Crooks and Ryan Wesley Routh, both men accused of shooting at former President Donald Trump, purportedly appeared in BlackRock advertisements.
Both Trump’s assailants appeared in a BlackRock ads.
Coincident? pic.twitter.com/WlhHX8e79C
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) September 16, 2024
Verdict: False
Although CBS News reported Crooks appeared in a 2022 BlackRock advertisement, Routh did not. A spokesperson for BlackRock denied the claim’s validity in an email to Politifact.
Fact Check:
Routh allegedly told Iran they were “free to assassinate Trump” in a self-published 2023 book, according to The Associated Press. Routh has a lengthy criminal record prior to his involvement in Ukraine, including a 2002 felony arrest for “possessing explosives, detonation cord and a blasting cap,” the outlet reported.
The X post, viewed over eight million times, claims Crooks and Routh both purportedly appeared in BlackRock advertisements. “Both Trump’s assailants appeared in a [sic] BlackRock ads. Coincident? [sic],” the post’s caption reads. The post features side-by-side photos of Crooks and Routh, but does not provide a source to support the claim. A similar iteration of the claim that circulated on X included video of the supposed BlackRock advertisement featuring Routh.
The claim is false. Although CBS News reported Crooks appeared in a 2022 BlackRock advertisement, Routh did not. Likewise, the video featuring Routh is not a BlackRock advertisement, but footage of a pro-Ukrainian rally. The video was shared on X in May 2022 by SAVE AZOV and Routh can be seen at the video’s 1:50-minute mark. (RELATED: Did Donald Trump Post A Score In The Aftermath Of Assassination Attempt?)
“This video is a message to the world from the Mariupol defenders. They are grateful for our support and ask us to keep on fighting. ‘Thank you to everyone who supports the Defenders of Mariupol and raises the issue of Mariupol at the international level Mariupol is,’” the video’s caption reads.
This video is a message to the world from the Mariupol defenders.They are grateful for our support and ask us to keep on fighting.“Thank you to everyone who supports the Defenders of Mariupol and raises the issue of Mariupol at the international level
Mariupol is🇺🇦”#savemariupol pic.twitter.com/WiQfSiA2Gx— SAVE AZOV 🇺🇦 (@save_mrpl) May 1, 2022
Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find any credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. Both Politifact and Newsweek reported the claim that Routh had appeared in a BlackRock advertisement was false.
In addition, a BlackRock spokesperson denied the claim’s validity to Politifact via email. “The video circulating on social media has been manipulated to falsely link Routh to BlackRock,” the spokesperson explained.
Check Your Fact has also contacted BlackRock for comment.