No Evidence Trump’s Family Plans to Leave US if He Loses 2024 Election

A rumor circulating online in late October 2024 claimed that former U.S. President Donald Trump’s family planned to leave the country if the Republican were to lose the 2024 presidential election.

On Oct. 29, an X user wrote (archived): “BREAKING: Trump family plans to Leave America If Trump Loses the Election.” As of this writing, the post had amassed more than 9.5 million views.

The X account previously shared the same rumor in a post (archived) on Sept. 19. That post had garnered more than 17.3 million views as of this writing.

Author Mary Trump, the niece of the former president who has opposed his candidacy for reelection, shared (archived) the Sept. 19 X post, adding: “In the event you needed more incentive to vote for Kamala Harris.”

Activist and writer Amy Siskind likewise shared (archived) the September post, adding: “Let us know if you need a ride to the airport.”

Other users also shared the same rumor on the Democratic Underground forums, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and YouTube.

However, there was no evidence suggesting the Trump family planned to leave the U.S. if the former president failed to secure a victory in the 2024 election. Likewise, no reputable media outlets reported on such a story, which would be eminently newsworthy if true.

Therefore, we have rated this claim as unfounded because there is no demonstrable evidence to support it.

Speaking during an interview with X owner and Trump supporter Elon Musk on Aug. 12, the Republican nominee did say he would leave the country if Vice President Kamala Harris beat him in November (transcribed here). However, that comment appeared to be a joke.

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Shayan Sardarizadeh, a journalist with BBC Verify, said on X (archived) the account that posted the claim was promoting an “utterly baseless” rumor.

He also noted the purported irony of the fact the user displayed a bio reading: “FACTS MATTER!”

The picture featured in the posts showed several members of Trump’s family photographed at an NBC “Today” show broadcast on April 21, 2016, at Rockefeller Plaza in New York.

We contacted the Trump campaign by email to ask about this matter and will update this story if we receive a response.

Sources