Does footage show ‘overflow’ crowd at 2026 Minnesota Trump rally? Here’s the real story

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            <p class="fact_check_info_description">Both the video clip and the still image originate from a pro-Trump rally that took place in Minnesota back in July 2024, rather than September 2026.</p>
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<p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-9c69f479-7fff-ded8-cd08-8c562233bd12"><span>During September 2026, social media users widely shared a video and several screenshots from older footage, falsely claiming they captured attendees at a Minnesota rally for U.S. President Donald Trump that same month.</span></p>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Instances of the video emerged <a href="https://perma.cc/GC82-JJXW">on X</a> and <a href="https://perma.cc/PC29-N2Z9?type=image">Instagram</a>, while matching screengrabs were shared <a href="https://perma.cc/N2CG-4EQF">on X</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DavidJHarrisJr/posts/pfbid0sfbR2yp6BqV79cyTXKQzWRSzPCnQuinD9V1pTSanFqjTGS2eVCHagTrckqQUDfNvl">Facebook</a>. Most posts featured nearly identical descriptions, with one stating, "This is literally just the OVERFLOW CROWD of people that couldn't get in to the Minnesota Trump Rally Saturday night!"</span></p>

<p dir="ltr"><span>To clarify, while the footage does depict a legitimate pro-Trump gathering, it was not filmed in September 2026. The event actually occurred in July 2024, making the circulating video and images heavily miscaptioned.</span></p>

<p dir="ltr"><span>A closer examination of one <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1974809764217555&amp;set=pcb.1974809817550883&amp;locale=et_EE">screengrab</a> reveals a prominent banner in the background bearing the text "Trump 2024."</span></p>

<img class="img-lg" src="https://mediaproxy.snopes.com/width/600?url=https://media.snopes.com/2026/09/rally.png" alt=""/>
<p><strong>(X user @DanScavino)</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Utilizing Google's <a href="https://www.snopes.com/articles/400681/how-to-perform-reverse-image-searches/">reverse image search</a> function further confirms that the media has been online since 2024.</span></p>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Dan Scavino, an official associated with Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, <a href="https://x.com/DanScavino/status/1817367085976002996">shared</a> the original video on X on July 27, 2024, alongside the caption: "The overflow crowd here in St. Cloud, Minnesota this evening at the MASSIVE #TrumpRally!"</span></p>

<p dir="ltr"><span>The video itself appears genuine, showing no digital alterations or signs of artificial intelligence generation.</span></p>

<p dir="ltr">Archival photographs from <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/vendors-sell-merchandise-before-a-rally-featuring-u-s-news-photo/2163248723?adppopup=true">Getty Images</a> display those exact same tall "Trump 2024" signs <a href="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/attendees-line-up-before-a-rally-featuring-u-s-republican-news-photo/2163248603?adppopup=true">present outside</a> the St. Cloud rally venue on July 27, 2024.</p>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Conservative news outlet <a href="https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/07/massive-overflow-crowd-trump-vance-rally-st-cloud/">The Gateway Pundit</a> also covered the event at the time. At the venue, an attendee <a href="https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/07/massive-overflow-crowd-trump-vance-rally-st-cloud/#:~:text=A%20photo%20taken%20by%20an%20attendee%20of%20video%20shown%20inside%20of%20the%20massive%20crowd%20outside.%20The%20attendee%20said%20the%20overflow%20crowd%20was%2012%2C000.">estimated</a> that the outdoor overflow crowd reached approximately 12,000 individuals.</span></p>

<p dir="ltr"><span>During the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-elections/minnesota-president-results">2024 presidential election</a>, Trump ultimately carried the nationwide vote while trailing in Minnesota against the Democratic nominee, then-Vice President Kamala Harris.</span></p>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Fact-checkers have previously investigated numerous claims regarding political campaign rally visuals—some verified as <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/real-pic-of-crowd-harris-walz-rally-in-detroit/">authentic</a>, others <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-tulsa-rally-crowd/">miscaptioned</a>, and a few created purely for <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-rally-woodstock/">satirical</a> or <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-rally-photo-quadruplets/">humorous</a> purposes.</span></p>