A comparison of images depicting U.S. President Donald Trump has circulated, with claims suggesting one was edited by the White House and the other is an original from Getty Images. The images in question show a close-up profile of Trump’s face, taken while he was speaking.
However, the claim that the White House released an altered, more flattering version of the photo has been debunked. Both images were derived from an authentic photograph taken by Reuters. Investigations found no evidence to support the assertion that the White House shared either of the doctored images.
The original photograph is available through Reuters and was taken by photographer Evelyn Hockstein during an event in Marietta, Georgia, on July 22, 2026. The caption for the Reuters image identifies it as “U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on the ‘Trump Accounts’ tax-advantaged investment program at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, U.S., July 22, 2026.”
The spread of the doctored images occurred across various social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Bluesky, and Threads. Users shared the image comparison, with some posts garnering significant attention.
Searches of the official White House social media accounts and website did not reveal any instances of the doctored photos being posted. While the White House did share content from the Georgia event, these did not include the manipulated images.
The exact editing methods used to create the altered versions remain unclear. One edited image appeared more flattering, possibly enhanced by AI or digital editing tools, while the other showed alterations that resembled the effect of Adobe Photoshop’s “clarity” setting. Independent analysis using Google’s SynthID Detector tool indicated that Google’s AI tools were not used in the editing process, though it could not definitively rule out the use of other third-party editing software.
This incident follows previous instances of doctored photographs of President Trump circulating online, including altered images related to his golfing activities.
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