Satirical Digitally Altered Photos of Donald Trump Go Viral
The Claim
Recent photos show Donald Trump's weight gain and wrinkles.
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Images purportedly showing former U.S. President Donald Trump at his golf courses have gone viral on social media. Users shared a photo of Trump with wrinkles on his face, claiming that the president used to wear makeup to hide them.
"Trump can't go anywhere without his makeup artist," a Twitter user wrote.
Others shared the same photo claiming Trump gained weight.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has investigated the circulating claim and found it to be satirical.
Upon closer examination, Misbar discovered that the viral photos are edited.
Digitally Altered Photos
The first image was altered to add more wrinkles to Donald Trump's face. Changing the lighting in the photo also made him appear older. The original image, however, uploaded to the Associated Press image store, shows Trump with lighter skin and fewer wrinkles on his face and neck.
The image was posted with the caption: “Former President Donald Trump arrives for the pro-am at the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, NJ., Thursday, July 28, 2022.”
The second image was also altered and widened to give the former President more weight. Jonathan Ferrey took the original photograph, which is shown below, and then uploaded it to the Getty Images store.
Donald Trump Subject Of Satirical Claims
The former U.S. President Donald Trump has recently been the subject of various claims. His photos have been used by social media users to create satirical content about his golf courses.
Other users have made a fabricated TIME magazine cover featuring what looks like Trump’s avatar entering an open door with the headline “TIME to go to jail.” “When does trump start selling tickets to be buried at his golf courses?” the user wrote.
Users have already circulated an image claiming that the former President looks much older. Misbar has addressed the claim and confirmed that the image was altered. Our team has debunked various claims attributed to Donald Trump, including fabricated pictures.
How to Spot Fabricated Picture?
Misbar’s team has previously explained, in a blog, that critical thinking can be used to identify altered images. Anyone can create fake and fabricated visuals and spread them at an incredible speed. A study has confirmed people’s limited ability to distinguish between original and manipulated images.
However, critical thinking and online tools, are available to help people spot fake and altered visual content. Our blogs explained that observing reflections, shadows, and icons is crucial since a limited knowledge of the photo editing process can affect image manipulation and may cause many imperfections. Media literacy, a rich culture of visual content, and photography knowledge remain the best instruments to spot altered and fabricated images.
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