Fact Check

Photo Shows Ted Cruz With Fidel Castro?

A photograph supposedly showing Ted Cruz hugging former Cuban leader Fidel Castro was digitally manipulated.

Published March 7, 2016

Claim:
A photograph shows Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz hugging Fidel Castro.

In March 2016,  photographs appeared purportedly showing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shaking hands with former President Ronald Reagan, alongside a photo of fellow Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz hugging former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

The image of Trump with Reagan is real. While we couldn't uncover the exact date or location of the photo, it was distributed by Trump aides in January 2015:

The other handout has a glamour shot of himself in a pink tie with the message "Donald J. Trump, Iowa Freedom Summit, Saturday, January 24, 2015." On the back is a photo of a young Trump shaking hands with President Ronald Reagan.

The photograph of Ted Cruz and Fidel Castro, however, is fake. The image is based off of a 2007 photo of Castro and Vietnamese politician Nong Duc Manh, taken during the latter's visit to Havana:

Screenshot 2016-03-07 at 11.38.42 AM

Cruz isn't the first person to be photoshopped into this exact image. George W. Bush received a similar treatment:

fidel-castro-george-bush-37675

Although Cruz has claimed that his father once fought for the Castro regime, Cubans who remember the family have questioned that story.

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.