What We Know About Photos of Trump Sign with Swastika in Barnwell, South Carolina

With only days to go until the 2024 U.S. presidential election, internet users shared three photos appearing to show a swastika — the symbol associated with Nazi Germany — on a campaign sign for Republican former President Donald Trump in Barnwell, South Carolina.

One of the pictures showed that the sign displayed the text, "Paid for by Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee. A joint fundraising committee composed of and authorized by Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc., and Save America. DonaldJTrump.com."

However, while the Trump campaign sells a similar sign matching many of the details of the sign in the photos, the campaign does not sell any products displaying a swastika. Someone either altered an existing sign to add the symbol or created entirely new signage.

'Seen in Barnwell'

In one of several examples of users sharing the pictures of the sign on Facebook, Reddit and X, X user Taylor Schumann (@taylorsschumann) posted (archived) on Oct. 27, "Seen in Barnwell, South Carolina. Shared in the SC Women for Harris Facebook group. Local sheriff was alerted."

Schumann created her post shortly after seeing the original post containing the same photos in the private Facebook group South Carolina Women for Harris Walz. One of the group's users, Elizabeth Grushkowsky, posted the pictures that morning, writing, "I'm so sorry this is upsetting material. I don't know who this needs to be sent to. The Barnwell County Sheriff has already been made aware of the sign."

On Messenger, Grushkowsky told Snopes that she took the pictures on Oct. 26. "Initially, I saw the sign as my mom and I were leaving a festival in Barnwell. She was driving and I noticed the sign as we were at a stop sign," she said.

"I was not the one who contacted the Barnwell County Sheriff's Office. My mother sent her former boss the photos because her boss is a big Trump supporter. Her boss then decided to contact both the Barnwell County Sheriff's Office and the SC Republican Party. According to her, all this happened on Saturday, Oct. 26."

She added that, as of Oct. 28, she had not heard back from local authorities.

We called and emailed the Barnwell Police Department to ask about the matter. Following the initial publishing of this article, on Oct. 30, Chief Michael Butts of the Barnwell Police Department responded to our email and said his office turned the matter over to the Barnwell County Sheriff's Office for investigation.

Additionally, one user commenting under Grushkowsky's post replied that a representative for the Barnwell County Democratic Party told them via Messenger that they were unfamiliar with the signage. None of the other 100-plus comments in the private Facebook group's post appeared to share further information that might shed light on this matter.

A Prank?

Many users called out the sign displayed in the pictures as an apparent prank with "fake" signs (archived). The word "fake" reflected not that someone altered the photos but rather the idea someone who possibly opposed Trump's politics altered an existing sign or created an entirely new one.

For example, one user posited in a reply to Schumann on X (archived) — without providing evidence — "So the local Women for Harris made a sign with a Nazi symbol on it to manufacture fake outrage." Another person also sarcastically replied (archived) of the sign, "I know right. You could never fake that." A different user posted (archived), "This is hysterically stupid. What was the local sheriff supposed to do? Arrest a Democrat for putting up fake Trump signs?"

The Location of the Sign

The location where Grushkowsky shot the photos was in front of Veterans Memorial Park in Barnwell, also displayed on a sign as Barnwell Lions Club Memorial Park. Google Street View identified the location as right around 11266 U.S. Highway 278, or Ellenton Street. The Trump sign was not yet visible when the Google Street View vehicle captured photos in April 2024.

We called businesses located close to the same location but did not reach anyone during regular business hours.

Sources:

"Explore Street View and Add Your Own 360 Images to Google Maps." Google Maps Street View, https://www.google.com/streetview/.

"Official Trump 2024 Yard Sign." WinRed, https://secure.winred.com/trump-national-committee-jfc/storefront/official-trump-2024-yard-sign/details.

Updates:

Oct. 30, 2024: We updated this article to add a statement from Chief Michael Butts of the Barnwell Police Department.