Short Answer: Two viral clips from Lindsey Graham’s July 28 funeral are authentic broadcast footage showing a man seated behind President Trump making disgusted facial expressions. Visual clues — a star-shaped lapel pin, a faint earpiece wire and his movements into and out of the service — suggest he and another man may be Secret Service agents, but their identities were not confirmed. There is no credible evidence that the agent smelled a soiled diaper or that the president passed gas; the Secret Service and White House were contacted for comment.
Fact Check: Viral Clips Show A Man Behind Trump Reacting At Lindsey Graham’s Funeral — No Evidence Of A Diaper Or Flatulence
MS NOW via Internet Archive TV News Archive
Two short broadcast clips from Sen. Lindsey Graham’s July 28, 2026 funeral circulated widely on social media, with users claiming a man seated behind President Donald Trump reacted to a foul odor — prompting renewed rumors that the president wore diapers or passed gas. We reviewed the footage, source broadcasts and related images to clarify what the videos show and what they do not prove.
What The Footage Shows
Independent verification by Snopes and a frame-by-frame review confirm both clips are authentic broadcast footage and show a man seated directly behind President Trump making facial expressions some viewers described as disgusted or like he was sniffing. The two short clips originated from live coverage of the service and were reposted across X, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, Threads and other platforms.
Source Details And Timing
- The first clip, with an MS NOW chyron (The Moment With Katy Tur), corresponds to the TV News Archive recording at roughly 2:53 p.m. EDT on July 28.
- The second clip aligns with material in a Fox News livestream (1:41:56 mark) and matches audio in C-SPAN footage (1:39:17 mark), placing that moment at about 3:37 p.m. EDT in the combined timeline of available broadcasts.
Evidence Suggesting Security Personnel — But No Identity Confirmation
Visual details in longer broadcasts support the interpretation that the two men seated behind President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance are likely U.S. Secret Service personnel. Specific indicators include:
- A star-shaped lapel pin visible in the Fox News video (around the 15:08 mark) that may match Secret Service insignia.
- Behavior consistent with protective detail: the man behind the president appears to enter the cathedral shortly before Trump and exit with him.
- A faint cable or wire near the left ear of the man behind Trump (visible around the 2:17:40 mark in the Fox News footage) that could be an earpiece wire.
- Photographs from other public events (for example, Getty Images coverage of UFC 327 on April 11, 2026) show the same individual near the president and wearing a lapel pin.
Despite these indicators, we did not independently verify the man’s name or formally confirm his employment with the Secret Service.
What We Did Not Find — And What Remains Unproven
Crucially, nothing in the verified footage proves the man smelled a soiled diaper or that President Trump was wearing one. The videos also do not prove the expressions were a response to flatulence. Facial expressions and short clips taken out of context can be misleading: the same man makes similar faces at other points in the longer Fox News stream (for example at 1:43:01 and 2:03:15), which indicates the reactions were not necessarily unique or caused by a single event.
No credible evidence was found to substantiate the longstanding rumor that the president secretly wears diapers. We reached out to the U.S. Secret Service and the White House for comment on the videos and the identity of the man seen behind the president and will update this report if we receive responses.
Context And Related Reporting
Lindsey Graham, a long-serving U.S. senator from South Carolina, died on July 11, 2026. Preliminary medical reporting cited an aortic tear as the likely cause. Snopes has previously examined other claims tied to President Trump’s behavior at the funeral and separate diaper-related rumors around the president.
Bottom Line: The viral clips are authentic broadcast footage and show a man behind President Trump making faces that some viewers interpreted as a reaction to odor. Visual evidence suggests he and a colleague may be Secret Service personnel, but their identities and agency affiliation were not independently confirmed. There is no definitive evidence that the agent smelled a diaper or that the president passed gas.
Sources and Further Reading
- Snopes verification and related fact checks
- Fox News livestream and timestamps referenced above
- C-SPAN recording of the funeral service
- Getty Images photograph from UFC 327 (April 11, 2026)
- TV News Archive (Internet Archive)
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