Questionable Craigslist ad offers to pay actors to be Trump supporters in Phoenix

Two days before President Donald Trump arrives in Phoenix for his first "outside-the-swamp" rally in Arizona, a phantom Craigslist ad popped up.

“Actors needed,” it read.

The ad, posted early on Sunday, wanted to hire people to pose as Trump supporters for the rally, with “minorities especially desired to hold pro-Trump signs, cheer on command, and show diversity.”

Those interested were asked to reply with a head-shot photo and a resume. The rate? Ten dollars per hour to stand in Phoenix’s predicted 105-degree heat Tuesday.

After 30 minutes, the post was deleted. Four hours later, it popped up again. Five minutes later, it was gone again.

READ MORE: How to attend (or protest at) President Trump's Phoenix rally Tuesday

No one knows if it's real or fake

It's a recurring theme. Similar Craigslist ads appeared before rallies in Charlottesville, Orlando and Chicago and just as mysteriously disappeared.

Both the left and the right have accused the other of paying supporters and protesters to show up at political events. The companies that supposedly placed the ads denied knowledge of them.

Not even Snopes, a fact-checking website, could confirm whether the ads were true or false.

Calls from The Arizona Republic to the phone number associated with the post went unanswered. The Republic is reporting the ads to inform the public of possible misinformation.

Torunn Sinclair, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Republican Party, said she was aware of the ads but did not know who posted them.

"I have no idea," she said, "but they're not from AZGOP."

But rumors of paid protesters have persisted since the start of Trump's campaign.

In March 2016, Trump came to Fountain Hills to repeat his promises to build a border wall, renegotiate U.S. trade deals and “make America great again.”

At times during Trump's speech, protesters, who stood in a fenced area of the park, chanted in competition with supporters.

READ MORE: Phoenix police chief: City to deploy 'maximum staffing' at Trump rally

Later, Paul Horner, of Fountain Hills, Arizona, came forward to say he was paid $3,500 from "most likely Hillary Clinton’s campaign" for his protest.

It wasn't until Trump was elected that Horner, a local stand-up comedian, came clean.

It was a joke, he revealed in a Q&A with The Washington Post.

Horner told The Post that "people are definitely dumber," and pass information around without fact checking.

"I think Trump is in the White House because of me," he said.

TALKING POLITICS: Listen to our Arizona politics podcast, The Gaggle, on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Stitcher or Google Play.

Contact the reporter at yjeong@arizonarepublic.com or follow her on Twitter @yihyun_jeong.

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