Claim: Donald Trump plans to invite Imran Khan along with his family to his inauguration ceremony on 20 January.
Fact: This claim is false. Trump has neither extended any invitations to the jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister nor has he made any statements about plans to invite him. PTI’s digital strategist also told Soch Fact Check that the claim is false.
Facebook user Ikram Khan shared a reel (archive) with Imran Khan and Donald Trump’s photographs placed side by side with the text, “بڑادعوی
ڈونلڈ ٹرمپ نے
20 جنوری کو حلف برداری کے تقریب میں عمران خان کو فیملی سمیت بلانے جا رہا ہے گیم اچھے مرحلے میں داخل ہو گئیں ہے”
[Translated from Urdu: Big claim:
Donald Trump is going to invite Imran Khan along with his family to the swearing-in ceremony on 20 January. The game has entered an interesting stage.]
Trump and Khan
Donald J Trump entered politics in 2015 and won the 2016 US Presidential Election on his first run for office. After his initial term, he returned to the political arena, winning the 2024 Presidential Election to become the 47th president.
In the lead-up to the 2024 US elections, the Pakistani-American Public Affairs Committee (PAKPAC USA) endorsed Republican presidential candidate Trump. In a post on X, published in October, they wrote that the “legislative coup” against former Prime Minister Imran Khan was carried out under the Biden administration.
Some of Khan’s supporters are hopeful that Trump’s return to the US presidency could lead to diplomatic efforts for Khan’s release from prison, as reported by The Media Line. Some of his allies believe that Trump’s administration might exert pressure on Pakistan’s government to secure Khan’s freedom.
On 26 November, foreign policy adviser Richard Grenell attracted the attention of many Pakistanis when he took to X to demand the release of the former prime minister.
Trump appointed him as a special missions envoy on 14 December, and Grenell posted about Khan again on 16 December. In his post, which has a staggering 12 million views as of the writing time, Grenell said, “I’ll say it again, @geonews_urdu: Free Imran Khan.” When his post reached 10 million views, he wrote, “This is clearly popular. Free Imran Khan.”
Grenell has since reposted and written several posts on X, calling for Khan’s release and criticising the State Department’s statement on the issue. He also appeared on NewsMax’s show Newsline where he spoke about the US’ foreign policy with Pakistan and Imran Khan.
As of now, Donald Trump has not issued any official statements advocating for Khan’s release. The situation remains speculative with outcomes dependent on both international and diplomatic efforts and Pakistan’s internal political landscape.
Fact or Fiction?
The phrase “بلانے جا رہا ہے” [is about to invite] in the post being fact-checked implies an intention to extend an invitation. However, no credible news outlet or Trump-affiliated source has reported any such plans or intentions. Additionally, a keyword search yielded no news reports or statements from Trump’s team suggesting such plans.
However, according to a CBS News report, President-elect Donald Trump broke from tradition and extended invitations to foreign leaders for his upcoming inauguration on 20 January. He invited Chinese President Xi Jinping shortly after the election while foreign leaders have historically not been part of the ceremony. The US presidential inauguration traditionally includes attendance by members of Congress, the Supreme Court, high-ranking military officers, former presidents, and ambassadors. State Department records dating back to 1874 show no foreign leader has ever attended a US transfer-of-power event.
The article further stated that Trump’s team was also considering hosting other leaders, such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The decision on who will attend remains with the president-elect, reported CBS News.
To further investigate the claim, Soch Fact Check contacted Azhar Mashwani, PTI’s digital strategist, who informed us that claims about Khan’s invitation to the US presidential inauguration are fake.
Virality
The claim was shared widely on Facebook including here, here, here, here, here, and here. Archived here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Conclusion: US President-elect Donald Trump has not announced his intention to invite Imran Khan and his family to his presidential inauguration on 20 January.
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Background image in cover photo: brookings.edu
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