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Jack Smith photographed in 'No Kings' T-shirt at Maryland festival

The special counsel's attire at the Power to the People Festival drew commentary from various political figures and outlets.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Former special counsel Jack Smith, here during a Tuesday Senate hearing, wore a “No Kings” shirt to a pro-democracy music festival on Saturday.

What this story says

  • Jack Smith was photographed at the Power to the People Festival in Maryland wearing a Bruce Springsteen tour T-shirt that read 'No Kings'.
  • Senator Eric Schmitt claimed Smith was in Atlanta in February 2024, but evidence showed he was in Maryland at that time.
  • Donald Trump and White House officials commented on Smith's attire, with Trump calling him a 'Deranged Jack Smith is a Crooked Prosecutor!'
  • Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl dedicated the band's performance of 'My Hero' to Smith at the festival.

Who covered it

Left 19%(6)Centre 18%(6)Right 63%(20)

Percentages are shares of the 32 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .

Trust

70/100

Craft

69/100

Hype

70/100

32 sources · methodology

Thin on the left so far

Only 6 of the 32 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

Former special counsel Jack Smith was photographed at the Power to the People Festival in Maryland wearing a T-shirt featuring a Bruce Springsteen tour design with the phrase “No Kings.” The image circulated online over the weekend. The festival, described as pro-democracy and anti-Trump, featured performances from artists including Foo Fighters and Tom Morello.

The event occurred days after Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. During a hearing, Senator Eric Schmitt claimed Smith had been in Atlanta in February 2024. However, evidence presented indicated Smith was in Maryland at that time, attending a women's basketball game, not an NBA game as Schmitt suggested.

Disagreement on Smith's location

Senator Eric Schmitt claimed Smith was in Atlanta in February 2024, according to HuffPost. However, HuffPost reported that evidence showed Smith was in Maryland at that time.

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated digests mention the detail that Senator Eric Schmitt claimed Smith was in Atlanta in February 2024, but evidence showed he was in Maryland at that time.

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 6 Oct 2026, 01:45, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

6 rated outlets

  • Left-rated reports focused on the 'No Kings' T-shirt worn by Jack Smith at the Power to the People Festival in Maryland. Several outlets highlighted Donald Trump's reaction to the shirt, with OK! Magazine and Raw Story quoting Trump's Truth Social post calling Smith a 'Deranged Jack Smith is a Crooked Prosecutor!' HuffPost detailed the mix-up during Senator Eric Schmitt's Senate hearing, where Schmitt claimed Smith was in Atlanta in February 2024, but evidence showed he was in Maryland. HuffPost also noted a dedication from Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl to Smith during the festival. Mediaite and Joe.My.God. mentioned the White House's criticism of Smith, with Joe.My.God. quoting the New York Post describing Smith as a 'scumbag' and 'partisan attack rat for Democrats'.

Centre

6 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated reports noted Jack Smith's appearance at the Power to the People Festival in Maryland wearing a 'No Kings' T-shirt. The Hill stated Smith was seen sporting the shirt from a Bruce Springsteen tour. Newsweek also reported Smith was spotted at the festival wearing the shirt with the anti-Trump slogan. Internewscast and Reality Tea reported on the White House's criticism of Smith's attire, with Internewscast's headline stating the White House blasted the ex-special counsel's shirt. Reality Tea noted Donald Trump criticized Smith over the fashion choice.

Right

20 rated outlets

  • Right-rated reports focused on Jack Smith wearing an 'anti-Trump' or 'left-wing' T-shirt at the Maryland festival. Many outlets, including Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, and Bizpac Review, described the shirt as featuring a Bruce Springsteen design with the phrase 'No Kings.' Several reports, such as those from The New York Post and Joe.My.God., highlighted criticism from the White House, with the New York Post quoting a statement calling Smith a 'scumbag' and 'partisan attack rat for Democrats.' The Gateway Pundit and Breitbart noted that Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl dedicated a song to Smith. Some reports, like those from American Wire News and Bizpac Review, mentioned Smith was seen 'beer-toting.' The Gateway Pundit and RedState used strong negative framing, with headlines calling Smith 'crooked' and 'debasing himself.'

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Jack Smith photographed in 'No Kings' T-shirt at Maryland festival?
Of the 32 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 19% are rated left, 18% are rated centre, 63% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Jack Smith photographed in 'No Kings' T-shirt at Maryland festival left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 32 rated outlets on this story, 19% are rated left, 18% are rated centre, 63% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Jack Smith photographed in 'No Kings' T-shirt at Maryland festival biased?
Jack Smith photographed in 'No Kings' T-shirt at Maryland festival is one event reported by 32 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting Jack Smith photographed in 'No Kings' T-shirt at Maryland festival?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered Jack Smith photographed in 'No Kings' T-shirt at Maryland festival?
32 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
Where was Jack Smith photographed wearing the 'No Kings' T-shirt?
Jack Smith was photographed wearing the 'No Kings' T-shirt at the Power to the People Festival in Maryland. The festival featured performances from various artists and was described as politically charged.
What was the significance of the 'No Kings' T-shirt?
The T-shirt featured a Bruce Springsteen tour design with the phrase 'No Kings.' This attire was noted by various outlets and political figures, drawing commentary and criticism, particularly from those aligned with Donald Trump.
What did Senator Eric Schmitt claim about Jack Smith's location?
Senator Eric Schmitt claimed during a Senate hearing that Jack Smith was in Atlanta in February 2024. However, reports indicate that evidence showed Smith was in Maryland at that time, attending a basketball game.

Read it at the source

32 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

6

Centre

6

Right

20
Show 12 more

Not rated

0

No outlet in this group ran the story.

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

Jack Smith at Maryland festival | MediaBias News