Politics & Government

Did Tua Tagovailoa Really Sit Next to Eric Trump at Miami Rally?

A social media post went viral claiming Dolphins star Tua Tagovailoa would be schmoozing with the Trump family at the Doral rally.
By Naomi FeinsteinJuly 10, 2024
Manipulated photo showing a reserved seat for Tua Tagovailoa at Trump rally
No, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was not sitting in the front row at Donald Trump's rally in Doral on July 9.

Screenshot via X
Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

Ahead of Donald Trump’s rally in Doral on Tuesday night, a photo went viral on social media supposedly showing a seat for Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa alongside spots reserved for Trump family members in the first row.

“Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa will be sitting front row tonight in Doral for the Trump speech 🇺🇸,” marketing specialist Eric Spracklen wrote on X.

The picture, which received more than 4,000 likes, indicated that Tagovailoa had a seat next to Trump’s two sons Eric and Donald Jr.

However, it turns out the photo was manipulated to insert Tua’s name on the seat label. The seat was actually reserved for Trump’s 18-year-old son Barron.

Editor's Picks

“Barron Trump and most of the Trump family will be in attendance and sitting front row at Trump’s rally tonight in Miami,” Daily Caller reporter Henry Rodgers posted on X.

Even OutKick founder and political commentator Clay Travis, who was dunking on Biden supporters over Tagovailoa’s purported attendance, was duped.

“My bad,” Travis wrote on X. “Tua may actually be at the Marianne Williamson rally tonight. In all seriousness, he wasn’t there. But I feel confident Tua is voting for Trump because he has a functional brain.”

Related

GET MORE COVERAGE LIKE THIS

Sign up for the This Week’s Top Stories newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox

Naomi Feinstein is a staff writer of Miami New Times where she primarily focuses on news. Naomi started her career with New Times as a summer intern in 2019, then returned as a fellow in August 2022 before joining the staff full-time in February 2023. She graduated from University of Miami where she contributed to the student-run newspaper, the Miami Hurricane. She holds a master’s degree and graduated with honors from the Columbia School of Journalism. In 2021, Naomi was recognized as the College Journalist of the Year from the Society of Professional Journalists of Florida, and she placed second for Best General News Story in the 2021 Pinnacle Awards.

naomi.feinstein@miaminewtimes.com
A message from News Editor Natasha Yee: If you value independent journalism, please consider making a contribution to support our continued coverage of essential stories and to investigate issues that matter.
Support Us

Loading latest posts...