Fact Check

Is This a Photograph of a Woman Beaten for Supporting Donald Trump?

After a contentious Donald Trump rally in California, images of purportedly injured supporters circulated on Facebook, one of which was swiped from a TV show.

Published June 6, 2016

 (Instagram)
Image Via Instagram
Claim:
An image depicts a young female Donald Trump supporter covered in blood following an altercation at a California political rally.

On 4 June 2016 the above-reproduced image of a bloodied young woman was published to Facebook along with a caption suggesting that she sustained the pictured injuries when she was beaten for expressing support for Donald Trump at political rally:

It is true that on 2 June 2016, altercations broke out at a Trump campaign event in San Jose, and the image shown here was circulated against the backdrop of social media reaction to those incidents:

Donald Trump supporters were mobbed and assaulted by protesters after the candidate's campaign rally in California.

The violence broke out after the event in San Jose wrapped up just before 8 p.m. local time (11 p.m. ET). Some Trump supporters were punched. One woman wearing a "Trump" jersey was cornered, spat on, and pelted with eggs and water bottles.

Police held back at first but eventually moved in. San Jose Police Sgt. Enrique Garcia told NBC News that several protesters were arrested and one officer was assaulted in the melee.

In their reporting, numerous credible news outlets published a widely-reproduced photograph of a woman who had been pelted eggs during the protests in San Jose:

trump supporter eggs

A few days later, a separate image of a purported victim of violence that supposedly stemmed from a Trump campaign rally began circulating, but that picture was a still frame taken from a Mexican telenovela and was unrelated to any Trump rallies in San Jose.

Likewise, the image of a bloodied blonde woman seen above is not in any way related to any Trump rally altercations, in San Jose or elsewhere. Multiple skeptical commenters pointed out that the bruised woman appeared calm and unruffled despite sustaining what appeared to be severe injuries, and a reverse image search immediately revealed that the photograph in question was published online as early as January 2016, six months prior to the June 2016 Trump rally in San Jose. A January 2016 article by the British Daily Mail newspaper reported that the individual depicted in the photograph was actress Samara Weaving, and the picture showed the application of makeup to her for the television program Ash vs. Evil Dead:

She was a fresh-faced beauty on Home and Away, but Samara Weaving [is] sporting a slightly different look.

Appearing battered and bloodied, the 23-year-old shared a snap from the makeup chair on the set of Ash vs Evil Dead, a comedy horror show now in its second season.

The Australian actress played the role of Heather in three episodes in the show's first season, with fans expressing how happy they were she was returning.

Sources

Goulopoulos, Sophie.   "Now That's Scary! Samara Weaving Sports Bloodied Face and a Bruised Eye While on Toe Set of 'Ash Vs Evil Dead.'"     Daily Mail.   6 January 2016.

Rascon, Jacob and Ali Vitali.   "Protesters Assault Trump Supporters with Eggs, Bottles, Punches After Rally."     NBCNews.com.   3 June 2016.

Chicago Tribune.   "Punches, Eggs Thrown as Protesters Attack Trump Supporters Outside San Jose Rally."     3 June 2016.

Kim LaCapria is a former writer for Snopes.