A rumor circulating online in fall 2024 claimed that a photo showed former U.S. President Donald Trump wearing a life jacket and walking in knee-high floodwater with another person to help storm victims.
This rumor bore similarities to other past pictures claiming to show Trump rescuing two cats and a stranded person following Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
For example, on Sept. 30, 2024, a Facebook user posted (archived) the picture in the days following Hurricane Helene — a storm leading to nearly 140 known deaths (as of Oct. 1) across Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Virginia. The user's post read, "I don't think Facebook wants this picture on Facebook. They have been deleting it." The post received more than 150,000 shares in just 16 hours.
One person commented under the post, "It did happen in Valdosta, Georgia, today!" Another user said, "He lives and cares for people, all people!" Someone else also added, "I think we should all repost it!!!!"
However, while it was true that Trump flew to Valdosta on Sept. 30 (and made false claims about the federal response to Helene), the photo was fake. Also, the idea of Meta's employees choosing to delete the image from its platforms — similar to previous claims of about Facebook supposedly censoring or removing posts about Bible verses, Christian-themed content and Santa Claus — stood as an evidence-free accusation.
As of this writing, it was unclear who created the picture. However, it was crystal clear that someone employed an artificial-intelligence tool to create the fake image. Had someone truly photographed Trump wearing a life jacket and walking through floodwaters, credible news outlets would have reported the matter. None did.
Users Discuss the Fake Photo
A commenter under the Facebook post asked, "Where is the Secret Service? They just left him alone? This is the work of AI. Trump loves it."
Meanwhile, other users correctly pointed out the discrepancies in the hands shown in the picture, in particular the broken-looking thumb on Trump's right hand. As we previously reported, odd-looking hands and fingers are one sign of AI manipulation in photos.
Note the broken appearance of Trump's thumb in the AI-generated image.
One user commented, "As a Trump supporter, it's okay to recognize that this photo is AI-generated. Yes, he is helping with relief efforts in Georgia. No, this photo is not real. The main piece of evidence that this is fake is President Trump's right hand in this picture. We all know his hands don't look like this. This photo also just has the general appearance of AI, which I know some people have trouble recognizing."
In addition to the Facebook post, users also discussed the fake nature of the photo on the Reddit subreddit r/BoomersBeingFools, as well as on Threads and X.