A police officer is being accused of throwing a white power hand sign at Donald Trump Jr. on Wednesday during his appearance at the civil fraud trial against his family, although the evidence is thin.
Footage of the moment, in which the officer can be seen holding up three fingers as Trump Jr. enters the courthouse, was shared to X by a user convinced that something nefarious had taken place. The three fingers, according to the user, represent the “W” in white power.
“On @MSNBC we just witnessed a cop who threw donald j trump Junior the white pride fingers as he ascended the courthouse steps. He needs to be fired,” the user said. “This police officer needs to be fired, post haste. Shame on @MSNBC for not bringing attention to this on air.”
The video has since been seen more than 656,000 times, but most users appear unconvinced that the footage proves anything beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Multiple users suggested that the officer was merely referencing to other officers the number three, a premise that the video’s uploader argued is untrue.
“It’s been pretty much confirmed he’s asking other cops ‘how many’ and certain coming in or something along those lines… don’t jump at click bait folks,” the user wrote.
“Not true. But he’s free to use that excuse when they call him in. Point is he needs to account for this. Period,” they replied.
Some questioned whether the uploader was just a troll looking to enrage other users online.
One user also claimed that the officer was merely telling Trump Jr. that he would be entering Courtroom 300.
Even Brett Meiselas, co-founder of the anti-Trump organization Meidas Touch, and no stranger to conspiratorial posting, pushed back on the assertion.
“Stupid conspiracy theories like this make everyone look idiotic,” he wrote. “The officer was clearly just doing his job, likely confirming Don Jr. was walking in with 3 people. The commenters all want to rush to fire the officer? Get a grip, people.”
Despite the pushback, countless users continued to argue for the officer to be fired.
In reality, the officer’s intentions are unknown. The three fingers could signal a multitude of things.
Trump Jr. testified for 90 minutes during the trial on Wednesday and is expected in court again on Thursday.
