FACT CHECK: Trump has no ‘secret letter’ exposing Marcos corruption

Claim: US President Donald Trump holds a secret letter detailing widespread corruption in the administration of Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., implying that Marcos could be targeted by US measures similar to the military operation that captured deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim appeared on a Facebook page posing as a news outlet with 29,000 followers. As of writing, the post dated January 7 has 1,400 likes, 479 comments, and 162 shares.

Text overlaid on the photo reads: “PBBM isusunod na ni Trump? Pres Trump, may sulat sa korapsyon ng PBBM admin?”

(Is [President Bongbong Marcos] next for Trump? President Trump has a letter on corruption in the Marcos administration?)

The caption in the post states: “Isang dambuhalang krisis sa politika ang bumulaga ngayong Enero 2026 matapos kumalat ang mga ulat na ang muling nahalal na U.S. President na si Donald Trump ay diumano’y may hawak na ‘matinding ebidensya’ o lihim na sulat na naglalantad sa malawakang korapsyon sa ilalim ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.”

(A major political crisis erupted in January 2026 after reports surfaced that the re-elected US President Donald Trump allegedly holds ‘damning evidence’ or a secret letter exposing widespread corruption in the administration of Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.)

The claim emerged shortly after widespread media coverage of the US military operation on January 3, 2026, which captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas. The operation involved elite US forces and was announced by Trump, fueling speculation online about similar actions potentially targeting other world leaders.

The facts: There is no credible evidence that Trump possesses a secret letter alleging widespread corruption in the Marcos administration or that the US is planning measures akin to military action against him.

The claim appears to originate solely from unverified social media posts and has not been reported by any news outlets or official US or Philippine government sources.

Maduro’s capture: On January 3, 2026, US military forces conducted an operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Maduro and his wife, who were later transported to New York to face US federal charges. The Trump administration has since indicated intentions to influence Venezuela’s governance and control aspects of the country’s political transition and oil resources — moves that have drawn intense global scrutiny and controversy. (READ: World is less safe after US action in Venezuela, says UN Human Rights Office)

False information: In the hours after the raid, social media platforms were flooded with AI‑generated videos and old or misleading images claiming to show Venezuelans celebrating in the streets or depicting fabricated scenes of Maduro’s capture. Fact-checkers found that many of these visuals were AI-generated or taken out of context, with errors in flags, uniforms, and settings that do not match verified footage of the event. (READ: AI-generated celebrations, old photos spread after Maduro’s capture)

Other viral posts included doctored images of Maduro on a US military plane and misattributed photos from past events. Fact-checkers warned that while some content mimicked reality, the use of AI and misleading visuals made it harder to verify the veracity of content circulating online. – Marjuice Destinado/Rappler.com

Marjuice Destinado is a senior political science student at Cebu Normal University (CNU) and an alumna of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2025.

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