The image was fake and likely generated using artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
A rumor circulating online in October 2024 claimed former U.S. President Donald Trump donated a check in the meager amount of $1,300 for hurricane relief. The posts included an image purportedly taken from the Fox News Channel showing Trump holding a check made out to "Trump Manie Mar M AIFAL."
The purported Fox News headline in the image read, "Trump Donating $1,300 for Hurricane Relief." The timing of the rumor suggests the donation was to help victims recovering from Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.
For example, on Oct. 13, a user on X posted (archived) the image with the caption, "Taylor Swift $5M. Dolly Parton $1M. Ryan Reynolds $1M. Metallica $500k. $1.3k is less than what Trump spends monthly on makeup and KFC." The post displayed over 3.2 million views and 89,000 likes as of this writing.
Other users on Reddit, Threads and X also shared the image. Some of these users seemed to interpret the rumor as a factual recounting of real-life events, which it was not.
As BBC Verify senior journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh reported on X, there was no evidence of Trump donating the specific amount of $1,300 to hurricane relief. Rather, all signs pointed to the picture having originated with a satirical post (archived) by Reddit user u/BobbyKristina on the subreddit r/EnoughTrumpSpam. The post read, "Parody: Trump donating to help those affected by the Hurricanes." As such, and given the lack of evidence suggesting otherwise, we have concluded this item is fictional and originated as a joke.
The "$1,300 check" story spread concurrently with an unfounded rumor claiming Trump had donated $25 million of his own money to victims of Hurricane Helene.
The Reddit user, u/BobbyChristina, has a history (archived) of making up stories to garner shares and comments, sometimes relying on one or more AI tools to create fake images.
One of the telltale signs of an AI-created image is a series of letters or words that don't make sense, such as the nonsensical text on the $1,300 check reading "URA" and "Trump Manie Mar M AIFAL."
Snopes has addressed similar claims featuring AI-generated images before. For example, we reported about a fake photo that appeared to show a crying girl holding a puppy on a boat in the aftermath of Helene. We also recently published an article debunking another fake picture appearing to show two overweight, gun-toting Trump supporters dressed in camouflage clothing ordering food.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous, parodical or satirical.