Fact Check

Was Trump 'Quietly Sworn in as POTUS Under Sovereign Law'?

A routine review of content labeled satire.

Published March 4, 2021

Courtesy: The Trump White House Archived/Facebook (The Trump White House Archived (Facebook))
Courtesy: The Trump White House Archived/Facebook (Image courtesy of The Trump White House Archived (Facebook))
Claim:
Donald Trump was quietly sworn in as president of the United States under a sovereign law.

On March 4, 2021, the America's Last Line of Defense Facebook page published a post to a new story about former U.S. President Donald Trump. The post read: "The Deep State has been replaced, Patriots, and Trump is once again in charge." Readers who clicked to view the article saw the headline: "Finally: Trump Quietly Sworn In As POTUS Under Sovereign Law."

The story appeared to refer a debunked QAnon conspiracy theory that claimed Trump would retake the White House on March 4:

Good news, Patriots. Under the sovereign laws of the United States of America in the district of Columbia, Donald Trump was sworn in today as the 31st President of the true United States.

The law is clear, and the law was maniulated [sic], therefore, the law is null and void, and Donald Trump is the real and legitimate President.

Deal with it, Biden lovers and commie socialists. With trump at the helm of the new Shadow Government, the Deep State will have no choice but to retreat and Trump will once again call the shots.

Of course, none of this is legal, nor will iot matter in the real world, where Joe Biden is President and life goes on as usual.

This item about Trump being "quietly sworn in" on a sovereign law was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:

Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site’s pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.