Fact check: DNC didn’t leave out ‘under God’ from the Pledge of Allegiance
Pledge of Allegiance #PledgeofAllegiance
President Donald Trump is accusing the Democrats of taking God out of the Pledge of Allegiance at their national convention. He’s distorting what happened. (Aug. 22) AP Domestic
The claim: The phrase ‘Under God’ was skipped during the Pledge of Allegiance at the Democratic National Convention
Following the four-day virtual convention, social media posts emerged claiming that Democrats abstained from saying “under God” during the Pledge of Allegiance.
The claim was initially shared on Facebook by former U.S. Republican senatorial candidate Peggy Hubbard.
“The DNC omitted, One Nation Under God. From the pledge of allegiance,” reads Hubbard’s Aug. 20 Facebook post, which has over 1,000 shares. “It was thought to be offensive and may trigger some people.”
When contacted by USA TODAY to provide comment, Hubbard said in a Facebook message, “Thank you! Now i know WHO to block.”
“Dems recited our beautiful pledge of allegiance tonight and took out ‘UNDER GOD’! What say you!” reads another Facebook post that has over 35,000 shares. USA TODAY also sought comment from this user, who has not responded.
The claim gained even more traction after President Donald Trump repeated the claim.
“The Democrats took the word GOD out of the Pledge of Allegiance at the Democrat National Convention,” Trump tweeted on Aug. 22. “At first I thought they made a mistake, but it wasn’t. It was done on purpose. Remember Evangelical Christians, and ALL, this is where they are coming from-it’s done. Vote Nov 3!”
In an email to USA TODAY, Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh referenced two examples where “under God” was skipped during individual caucus meetings.
‘Under God’ omitted from council meetings, not on national stage
Some caucus members left out “one nation under God” when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance during individual meetings convened by allied groups. It is misleading to say it was intentionally removed or “the DNC omitted it.” Videos show that the phrase was included during each night’s convention program.
According to the DNC’s site, there were 30 events that took place throughout the week led by council and caucus chairs such as the Labor Council, the Hispanic Caucus, the Black Caucus and more.
Jill Biden, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter highlighted the list of speakers during night two of the Democratic National Convention.
(Photo: Getty)
During two of those meetings – the LGBTQ caucus meeting and the Muslim Delegates Assembly – when the pledge was recited, “under God” was omitted, Snopes found. David Brody, chief political analyst at Christian Broadcasting Network, posted bothvideos to Twitter.
However, videos from the convention show that “under God” wasrecited on all four nights of the event — which were livestreamed and broadcast on TV.
On the first night of the Democratic Convention, the Pledge of Allegiance was said by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s grandchildren, followed by participants singing the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
Videos from night two and three also show participants saying “under God” during the pledge. It was recited on fourth and final night of the convention by Cedric Richmond Jr., son of Rep. Cedric Richmond, R-La.
Delaware Sen. Chris Coons also highlighted Biden’s faith during his endorsement speech on the final night.
Our ruling: Partly false
Instances where “under God” were excluded from the Pledge of Allegiance took place during individual council meetings, not during recitations of the pledge during the convention’s program or as a matter of policy. There are no guidelines that forbid use of the phrase. It is misleading to state the DNC “omitted” or “took the word GOD” out. Therefore, we rate this claim as PARTLY FALSE.
Our fact-check sources:
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