Fact Check

Pic of 'Unwell' Trump Is Deceptively Edited

An edited image of Trump exaggerated his wrinkles and lightened his hair.

Published June 16, 2022

 (Twitter screenshots)
Image Via Twitter screenshots
Claim:
A photograph of former President Donald Trump looking particularly old and haggard is genuine.

Origin

Fact Check

In June 2022, an image supposedly showing a particularly old, haggard, and "unwell" former President Donald Trump was circulated on social media:

fake bloated trump photo

This photograph was deceptively edited to make Trump look particularly old and haggard.

It was created by altering a real photograph of Trump that was posted by Andrew Giuliani, the son of Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, to Twitter on June 15:

The genuine photo was subsequently digitally altered to create the viral version. For example, extra wrinkles were added to Trump's face, his hair was lightened, and the bags under his eyes were enlarged. Here's a comparison between the genuine photo (left) and the doctored one (right):

This isn't the first time that a subtly edited image of Trump has gained traction online. In December 2020, an image went viral that added a few digital inches to Trump's waist. Similar subtle edits were made to an image of Trump's sons Eric and Trump Jr.

You may also find our full collection of Trump photo fakery of interest.

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.

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