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Fox News aired old footage of Trump honoring fallen troops. Was it an honest mistake or a deliberate choice?

Poynter · Tom Jones · last updated

Several Fox programs used video from a different dignified transfer where Trump was not wearing a hat, drawing backlash before the network apologized

On Saturday, President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, went to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to honor six service members who were killed in the war with Iran. The six were transported back home, and Trump greeted them with a salute as their caskets were carried off the plane.

Some were upset that Trump never removed his white “USA” baseball cap. Not removing one’s hat, unless you’re in military attire, could be considered disrespectful.

What’s interesting is that if you were watching “Fox & Friends” at one point over the weekend, Trump was not wearing a hat. That’s because the program actually used footage from another time Trump attended a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base. The clip that Fox ran on Sunday was actually from Dec. 17, 2025, for two members of the Iowa National Guard and an interpreter who were killed in Syria.

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