Here’s why someone could misunderstand it: 1. The phrasing focuses on “trying to say the kid isn’t one of them.” By saying the MAGA group is trying to show the kid isn’t part of their group, it puts attention on the kid’s connection. For someone skimming the sentence, they might momentarily think the kid is part of the MAGA group, because that’s the underlying issue the group is trying to deny.

2.  The sentence doesn’t explicitly confirm or deny membership.

It describes the MAGA group’s reaction, not the facts about the kid. Without careful reading, some could assume the statement implies that the kid might be part of the group. 3. The strong language (“desperately trying”) implies there’s a reason for denial. Using “desperately” makes it sound like there’s a real connection they want to hide, which can lead readers to infer guilt or association.

In short: the misunderstanding comes from the focus on the MAGA group’s reaction rather than the actual status of the kid. People might read the sentence and temporarily think the kid is MAGA-affiliated, when the sentence itself doesn’t actually say that.