Updated on: Sept 30, 2025 03:03 am IST
Thomas Sanford, Flint church attack suspect, was linked to Trump politics. Rep. Swalwell shared a MAGA shirt photo, sparking debate over its authenticity.
Since the identification of Thomas Sanford as the suspect in Sunday’s attack at a church in Flint, Michigan, Sanford’s alleged political links have surfaced on social media. There has been no comment on the suspect’s political affiliation from law enforcement, but internet sleuths were quick to either frame him as pro or anti-Trump.
In the latest addition to those, US House Representative Eric Swalwell of California shared a photo of the suspect, where he can be seen wearing a T-shirt that says: “Trump 2020: Make Liberals Cry Again.” A caricature of Trump doing a thumbs-up can be seen on top of the text. But the photo has sparked a row, with many social media users accusing Swalwell of sharing a doctored image.
“I’m sure JD Vance agrees with me that it doesn’t matter that the Michigan terrorist was a MAGA supporter. Because in America, regardless of your politics, violence has never been the answer,” Swalwell writes in the caption.
Here’s the photo and Swalwell’s post:
They claim that the original photo, where Thomas Sanford can be seen with his family, does not have any text or image on his t-shirt. Sanford, an ex-Marine, can be seen wearing a green camouflage t-shirt in the photo.
“Eric (Fang fang) Swalwell Photoshopped the Michigan church shooter’s shirt to try to say he was maga,” wrote one MAGA-supporting X account.
