No, Trump didn't vote for Obama in 2012

If true - which it isn't - it would be an astonishing revelation: Donald Trump voted for Barack Obama in 2012.

A picture of a tweet has been circulating online which claims to show the businessman voted for Barack Obama in 2012. But although the below screenshot of the alleged tweet has been around for weeks online, shared by conservative bloggers and Republican opponents of Trump, the idea of America's most talked-about candidate as a secret Obama supporter just doesn't square with reality.

The conspiracy rumour of Trump as a Democrat double-agent has been growing for some time. As he launched his campaign, the conservative National Review reported that he was a registered Democrat from 2001 to 2009 and praised a Canadian-style universal health care system.

Party affiliation in the United States is usually changed by ticking a box while registering to vote and doesn't imply any financial contribution. However Trump has also shown a willingness to contribute considerable sums to Democratic causes - including Hillary Clinton's campaign for Senate in 2002.

In a recent piece, the BBC's Anthony Zurcher pointed out that Bill and Hillary Clinton attended Trump's last wedding, and Bill Clinton and real-estate mogul had a "mystery" phone call in May, shortly before Trump declared his candidacy.

But whatever his relationship with the Clintons (and remember, Obama and Hillary Clinton fought a brutal primary battle in 2008) - by the time of the last American presidential election, Trump was most definitely an Obama opponent. In fact, he aligned himself with fringe conspiracy-minded factions of the Republican Party by questioning the President's place of birth and, by extension, his eligibility for office. Those statements earned him a presidential roasting in 2011.

Just after Obama clinched the 2012 election, Trump posted a series of tweets making clear what he thought of the result. He alleged voting irregularities, decried America's electoral college system and even called for "revolution":

The story that some have attached to the "I always vote for the winners" tweet is that it was posted, but later deleted. And while it's remotely conceivable that someone could have tweeted those words as a joke, clearly it's incredibly unlikely that Donald Trump voted for Barack Obama in 2012.

Donald Trump pledged allegiance to the Republican Party at the end of Tuesday's GOP debate.

Blog by Mike Wendling

Next story: What's David Cameron watching on the telly, exactly?

The British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted a photo of himself watching the launch of the Soyuz rocket to space. Enter political opponents and journalists, who saw a chance to wield Photoshop and create the latest political meme.READ MORE

You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.