President Donald Trump faced sharp criticism Sunday after posting on Truth Social that the Watergate scandal was an “illegal hoax,” marking another attempt to rewrite established historical facts. The post, which was ostensibly aimed at attacking Senator Adam Schiff, suggested the infamous political scandal that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation was fabricated.
Trump made the claim on October 12, 2025, at 12:38 a.m. in a broader social media rant that also included false assertions about the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. In the same post, Trump wrote, “THE BIDEN FBI PLACED 274 AGENTS INTO THE CROWD ON JANUARY 6,” despite the fact that Joe Biden was not president at the time and would not be sworn into office until two weeks later on January 20, 2021.
The president appeared to forget that he was the sitting president during the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, instead blaming his predecessor and what he termed the Biden FBI for the violent assault on Congress. Trump’s own nominee, Christopher Wray, was serving as FBI director at the time of the attack, which the bureau has classified as an act of domestic terrorism.
Trump’s revisionist claims about January 6 contradict accepted facts about the events of that day. On January 6, 2021, Trump told supporters at his Stop the Steal rally in Washington to fight like hell against what he claimed was a stolen election. He urged the crowd to march to the Capitol, where Congress was counting electoral votes and preparing to certify Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Minutes later, an armed mob stormed and breached the Capitol building.
The Department of Justice found no evidence in December 2024 that the FBI had any involvement in the January 6 riots, which resulted in multiple deaths and injuries to dozens of law enforcement officers. Several criminal defendants from that day have admitted their actions were in response to Trump’s calls to action.
A federal grand jury indicted Trump on four felony counts in 2023 related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The case was later dismissed in November 2024 after Trump won the presidential election, following the Justice Department’s policy against prosecuting a sitting president. Despite the legal proceedings, Trump has consistently referred to January 6 as a day of love and praised the rioters as patriots.
Trump has repeatedly promoted unfounded conspiracy theories about the January 6 events. Last month, he falsely claimed that the FBI instigated the violence, writing in a September 27 Truth Social post that it was revealed the FBI had secretly placed 274 agents into the crowd prior to and during what he called the January 6 hoax. He alleged these agents were probably acting as agitators and insurrectionists rather than law enforcement officials.
Upon taking office for his second term, Trump mass-pardoned all participants in the January 6 attack, including many who had violently assaulted police officers with weapons and chemical sprays. The pardons extended to individuals who had been convicted of serious charges related to their actions during the Capitol breach.
The Watergate scandal reference represents another instance of Trump attempting to reframe historical events. The Watergate break-in occurred on June 17, 1972, when five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington. The subsequent investigation revealed a web of political espionage and abuse of power that ultimately led to Nixon’s resignation on August 9, 1974.
Political observers noted the timing of Trump’s latest historical revisionism claims, coming as he faces ongoing scrutiny over his role in the January 6 events and his broader approach to democratic institutions. The false claims about FBI involvement in the Capitol riot have been thoroughly debunked by law enforcement investigations and court proceedings.
Trump’s pattern of making unsubstantiated claims about historical events extends beyond January 6 and Watergate. Throughout his political career, he has frequently challenged established facts and promoted alternative narratives that align with his political messaging, often without providing evidence to support his assertions.
The latest Truth Social posts demonstrate Trump’s continued use of social media to spread false information about significant political events, despite the platform’s role in amplifying conspiracy theories and misinformation. His claims about both Watergate and January 6 contradict extensive documentation and testimony from multiple investigations conducted by law enforcement agencies and congressional committees.