No, Trump did not help a homeless veterinarian in New York find housing or a job

In November 2024, after US President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, a rumor surfaced on social media that Trump once helped a homeless veteran find housing and a job by publicly denouncing him recognized and brought into the spotlight for his service as a Marine.

According to the story, Trump met veteran Jack Miller while walking the streets of New York City, decided to put him up in a nearby hotel, and then held a ceremony at the White House where he highlighted the veteran’s service and gave him enough attention helped to find stable employment.

However, the claim was false. There was no evidence to support the claim.

The false rumor arose from videos posted on YouTube, including one uploaded by a channel called Mr Wisdom Stories, which had over 650,000 views at the time of writing. This video used artificial intelligence video creation tools to create the video’s graphics and commentary according to the channel description.

However, despite claiming that the story was “compiled from various sources,” the video’s AI narrator told the following story without providing any specific information:

On an unspecified cold day in New York City, Trump met a veteran named Jack Miller, a member of Bravo Company, Third Battalion. Trump put the veteran up in a hotel room and contacted his former comrades for a White House ceremony where he presented Miller with a medal. After the ceremony, Miller became a prominent veterans advocate and led a veterans support fund founded by Trump.

The description of the video was:

The story goes: When Trump meets a homeless veteran, his unexpected actions shock everyone. This inspiring story highlights the impact of kindness and the power of recognizing the sacrifices made by those who served. Experience how this surprising and warm moment leaves a lasting impression on everyone involved.

There was no evidence to support the story. Snopes found several other YouTube videos that told slightly altered versions of the story, including ones in which the veteran’s name was changed to Adam Harper, Elijah Kane and David Hayes. Additionally, “Bravo Company, Third Battalion” could refer to several different units – an actual Marine would likely refer to both the battalion and the regiment. Finally, there were no records of the ceremony Trump supposedly held for the veteran.

In short, the claim appeared to be fabricated with the sole aim of getting clicks or views online and thus generating advertising revenue. Such videos containing unfounded rumors often generate hundreds or thousands of comments from YouTube users. Some of these messages suggest that people are interpreting the videos as real news.

This wasn’t the first false rumor that Trump helped homeless people by providing them with hotel rooms or advertising. In December 2016, Snopes fact-checked a claim that Trump let a homeless woman stay rent-free at Trump Tower in New York City for eight years.