GOP candidate deletes video of fake Trump endorsement
A short video purporting to show President Donald Trump praising Republican congressional candidate Charlie Kim of Aurora has been removed from the Kim campaign’s Facebook page.
The move followed a Daily Herald inquiry into the authenticity of the video. A White House official confirmed the video wasn’t genuine.
The nearly 30-second clip was posted Feb. 9. In it, a figure that looked and sounded like Trump stands in a room resembling the Oval Office and speaks about Kim while gesturing to a framed, wall-mounted photograph of the 11th Congressional District candidate.
“Let me tell you something, folks, this guy right here — he’s incredible,” the fake Trump said. “I’ve seen a lot of hardworking people in my life, believe me, but this man — he works harder than anyone. He’s honest, he’s loyal and he doesn’t quit.”
“People talk about the American Dream — he lives it,” the fake Trump continued. “He doesn’t make excuses. He makes things happen. He’s what America is all about.”
The words “Vote Charlie Kim U.S. Congress IL candidate” appear on the video. Additional text accompanied by a Kim campaign logo reminds people to vote on or before March 17.
Responding to an inquiry by the Daily Herald, a White House official said endorsements by Trump aren’t authentic unless they come from his Truth Social account or from Trump directly. This one didn’t.
Asked this week to comment, Kim said he didn’t know about the video until the Daily Herald asked about it. Kim said five people manage his social media accounts and that he rarely posts messages.
On Wednesday, campaign manager Karolyn Radulovich said Kim requested his team remove the clip.
“Charlie likes to be positive about our campaign, and he does not wish to deceive voters nor be negative,” Radulovich said in an email.
The video was created using a stock video template through an online editing service, Radulovich said. The goal was to promote Kim’s campaign “and make people smile,” she said, not to make people believe Trump had endorsed Kim.
Kim is among four candidates for the GOP nomination in the 11th District. The others are Elburn Mayor Jeff Walter, Naperville resident Mike Pierce and Tedora Brown of Palos Park.
Pierce called the video “ridiculous” and said he was surprised Kim’s campaign released it. “He should know better,” Pierce said.
Neither Walter nor Brown responded to requests for comment.
The 11th Congressional District encompasses portions of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, DeKalb and Boone counties.
The winner of the March 17 Republican primary will face Democratic incumbent Bill Foster of Naperville in November’s general election.