A self-described troll attended a Trump rally in a KKK costume. Some people believed he was a member

A video circulating on social media shows someone wearing a white robe and hood and holding a sign purportedly supporting former President Donald Trump’s 2024 bid for the presidency. The hooded person is standing among others bearing Trump signs and flags.

"THIS IS TODAY," text on the video reads. "#Trump #MAGA supporters feeling emboldened to bring out hoods." 

A Sept. 8 Instagram post sharing the video said: "This video was taken yesterday. September 7, 2024. Not 1924 or 1964. The location where the video was taken was Mystic Village: Stonington, Connecticut. Not somewhere in the rural south. This is America. Stay vigilant. Stay mindful. Stay protected." It included the hashtags #kkk and #whitesupremacy.

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

The video is authentic. A man dressed in a robe and hood did stand among Trump supporters Sept. 7 in Stonington, Connecticut. 

But The Day, a New London, Connecticut-based newspaper, reported that the man, Michael Picard, is a self-described troll who donned the robe and hood "to remind everybody that Trump was endorsed by the KKK." 

The KKK’s official newspaper supported Trump for president in 2016. 

Picard’s sign said "Trump: Endorsed by the KKK," and he told The Day that the rally would appear in his next video for his YouTube channel "Professional Douche." In 2023, he shared a video labeled "satire" on the channel that showed him attending another Trump rally with the sign. 

Featured Fact-check

Threads posts

stated on November 12, 2024 in a Threads post

“It was just Biden and Trump in 2020” general election ballots.

"The Professional Douche shows his support for President Donald Trump by letting everybody know that he was endorsed by the KKK," the caption said. 

"I would say going to Trump rallies is my bread and butter," Picard said. "It’s something I do often."

Picard told WTNH-TV, an ABC News affiliate in New Haven, Connecticut, that he knows "the costume is offensive." 

"My intention wasn’t to scare anyone but to hold a mirror to these people," he said. 

We rate claims that this video shows a KKK member attending a Trump rally False.