VietBF - Fact Check : Real Photo of Dave Grohl Wearing a MAGA Hat?

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The Foo Fighters lead singer has been a critic of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

By : Nur Ibrahim

Claim: Authentic photograph shows Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl wearing a MAGA hat indicating support of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Rating: Fake

In August 2024, a photograph of Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl apparently wearing a MAGA hat — referring to the Trump campaign slogan "Make America Great Again"—indicating his support for former U.S. President Donald Trump, went viral. The photograph appeared on X with this statement attributed to Grohl: "President Trump playing 'My Hero' [referencing a Foo Fighters' song] during his journey back to the White House is the honor of my lifetime."

The above photograph is a manipulated image and not an authentic depiction of Grohl at the time. The MAGA hat was edited onto Grohl's head, and Grohl did not say the words attributed to him. Rather, the Foo Fighters representative said the band had not granted permission to the Trump campaign to use their song. As such, we rate this claim as "Fake."

Using Google's reverse-image search tool, we traced the photograph back to November 2023.

The original image appeared in Australian media in November 2023 and showed Grohl leaving a hotel in Perth, wearing a black cap. PerthNow, a local newspaper, shared the image, crediting photographer Justin Benson-Cooper. According to the news report, Grohl was staying in the Ritz Carlton, ahead of a performance with his band. The lettering on the black cap he was wearing said, "HOPE, The Mission."

Grohl can be seen in other photos wearing the same outfit and black cap.

Grohl vs. Trump

On Aug. 23, 2024, at a Trump rally in Arizona, the Trump campaign used the Foo Fighters song "My Hero" to introduce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. onstage. Kennedy was an erstwhile presidential candidate who dropped out of the race to endorse Trump.

But the band was not happy about the use of their song.

A representative for the Foo Fighters told Entertainment Weekly, "Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were they would not have granted it. Also any royalties received as a result of this use will be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign."

Grohl has been critical of Trump in the past. In a 2018 GQ interview, he said:

Listen, who cares what I think about guns or religion, but the thing about Trump that stings the most is this: he just seems like a massive jerk. Right? I know a lot of wonderful people who don't share my politics and you can bet tomorrow night in the stadium not everyone will share the same opinion or hold the same views. But when I sing 'My Hero' they will all sing it with me. In the three hours that I am on stage, none of that matters.

The image in question is thus a manipulated version of an older image and the Foo Fighters have disputed the Trump campaign's use of their song.