A viral screenshot claiming President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that George Soros paid millions to stage the April 5, 2025, anti-Trump “Hands Off!” protests is lighting up social media. The alleged post calls the protests “FAKE” and claims Soros shelled out $500 trillion to hire “5 million ACTORS.” Sounds wild, right? Let’s cut through the noise and fact-check this explosive claim with a clear, no-nonsense look.
The screenshot surfaced after massive protests rocked cities from New York to Anchorage, with thousands rallying against Trump’s federal job cuts and tariff plans. It quotes Trump saying, “I’m hearing from VERY reliable sources (the BEST sources) that George Soros paid FIVE MILLION people—can you believe it??—$100 MILLION EACH to protest. Total Scam.” Shared on platforms like Facebook and Threads, it sparked a frenzy, with some X users joking about waiting for their “Soros paycheck.” But here’s the kicker: the post is a complete fabrication.
Snopes, a trusted fact-checking outlet, dug into this and found no trace of the post on Trump’s Truth Social account. The screenshot has telltale signs of being fake—wonky fonts that don’t match Truth Social’s style, no timestamp, and no date, which real posts always have. A search for “George Soros” in Trump’s April 2025 posts turned up zilch, with his actual content focusing on tariffs, fentanyl warnings, and even his golf swing. The most recent Soros mention from Trump was back in April 2024, unrelated to protests. Plus, the math is absurd—$500 trillion dwarfs the U.S.’s $27.72 trillion GDP and Soros’s $8.3 billion net worth. It’s a logistical and financial fantasy.
This isn’t the first time Soros, a billionaire philanthropist, has been cast as a protest-puppeteer. Similar claims about him funding Black Lives Matter, Women’s March, or Kavanaugh protests have been debunked by Reuters and PolitiFact. His Open Society Foundations support social justice groups, but there’s no evidence of direct payments to protesters. These allegations often lean on antisemitic tropes, painting Soros as a shadowy mastermind, a narrative that’s fueled conspiracies since the 1990s. X posts reflect the divide—some amplify the claim, others mock its absurdity.
So, what’s the deal? The fake post is likely a deliberate hoax to stir division and discredit the protests, which AP News reported were genuine outcries over Trump’s policies. No evidence links Soros to paying anyone, and Trump never made the claim. This is just another chapter in the misinformation saga. Keep your eyes peeled—when something sounds this outrageous, it’s usually too good (or bad) to be true.
