Deepfake video of Oregon candidate Nafisa Fai with an upside-down US flag goes viral
A deepfake video of Washington County chair candidate Nafisa Fai speaking in front of an upside-down US flag went viral on X, leading to vitriolic comments and a confrontation. The original video, verified by the Oregon Journalism Project, showed the flag correctly oriented.
On October 19, 2026, a deepfake video of Washington County chair candidate Nafisa Fai speaking in front of an upside-down U.S. flag went viral on X (formerly Twitter). The 26-second clip, posted by an account with 3.9 million followers, claimed Fai was speaking Somali with an American flag displayed incorrectly, suggesting she was "not American." This led to comments calling for her deportation and a confrontation after a candidates forum. The Oregon Journalism Project verified that the original event in Minnesota, where Fai spoke to inspire young people, featured the flag displayed right side up. A clip from the actual event provided to OJP confirmed the correct flag orientation.