AI image of Trump goes viral after Hurricane Helene | Fact checkNew strain in Calif. Get the USA TODAY app Start the day smarter ☀️ 🐍Year of the SnakeU.S. Politics Sports Entertainment Life Money Travel Opinion CrosswordONLY AT USA TODAY:Newsletters For Subscribers From the Archives Crossword eNewspaper Magazines      InvestigationsPodcasts Video Humankind Just Curious Best-selling Booklist LegalsOUR PORTFOLIO:10Best USAT Wine Club ShoppingBlueprint Southern Kitchen      Home Internet  FACT CHECKFact CheckAdd TopicImage of Donald Trump wading through flood water is AI-generated | Fact check Hannah HudnallUSA TODAYThe claim: Image shows Trump wading through flood waters after Hurricane HeleneA Sept. 30 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) appears to show former President Donald Trump walking through a flooded street while wearing an orange life vest."I don't think FB wants this picture on FB," reads the post's caption. "They have been deleting it."The post was shared more than 160,000 times in two days. The image was also shared on Instagram.More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook pageOur rating: AlteredExperts and an AI-detection tool confirmed the image is AI-generated. There's no evidence Trump waded through flood water in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.Trump flood picture is AITrump surveyed the damage from Hurricane Helene in the battleground state of Georgia on Sept. 30 and spoke to residents affected by the Category 4 storm, which killed at least 180 people and left almost a million homes and businesses without power.But the image, which was shared the same day and shows the former president wading through a flooded street, isn't legitimate.Walter Scheirer, an engineering professor at the University of Notre Dame, told USA TODAY the image is likely "the product of a generative AI algorithm.""One key giveaway is that the clothing of the two men appears to be dry," Scheirer said. "If they were wading through water, they'd be soaked – an effect that can be seen in the numerous real photos from the hurricane. Further, this is a rather low-quality rendering, with visible unnatural artifacts around the splashing water and the hood of the truck in the background."James O'Brien, a computer science professor at the University of California, Berkeley, similarly said the image was digitally generated. He pointed out several inconsistencies with Trump's appearance in the image, such as the life jacket strap seemingly running over the right side of his face and his face appearing smudged."I believe that Trump's face was added to another image and that the software that added the image made an error when it was blending the edges," O'Brien said.The picture contains several other signs of digital fabrication as well, including Trump and the man beside him having only four fingers on each hand and the lettering on their hat and life jackets being illegible. AI generators struggle to generate realistic hands and legible text.Hive Moderation's AI-detection tool found that the image was 99.9% likely to be AI-generated.Fact check: Unrelated storm footage falsely linked to Hurricane HeleneThere are no credible reports of the former president wading through flood waters while visiting Georgia. Pictures captured during his trip show him wearing a black suit with a red tie, not the blue long-sleeve shirt shown in the viral image.USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.Lead Stories and PolitiFact also debunked the claim.Our fact-check sources:USA TODAY, Sept. 30, Trump tours Hurricane Helene damage in Georgia, falsely says Biden and Kemp haven't spokenWalter Scheirer, Oct. 2, Email exchange with USA TODAYJames O'Brien, Oct. 2, Email exchange with USA TODAYHive Moderation, accessed Oct. 2, AI-Generated Content DetectionThank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.Featured Weekly AdAbout Us Newsroom Staff Ethical Principles Responsible Disclosure Request a Correction Press Releases Accessibility Sitemap Subscription Terms & Conditions Advertiser Acceptance Policy Terms of Service Privacy Policy Your Privacy ChoicesContact Us Help Center Manage Account Give Feedback Get Home Delivery eNewspaper USA TODAY Shop USA TODAY Print Editions Licensing & Reprints Advertise With Us Careers Internships Support Local BusinessNews Tips Submitting letters to the editor Podcasts Newsletters Mobile Apps Facebook X Instagram LinkedIn Threads YouTube Reddit Flipboard10Best USAT Wine Club Shopping Best-selling Booklist Southern Kitchen Jobs Sports Betting Sports Weekly Studio Gannett Classifieds Home Internet Blueprint© 2025 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC.
If you fact check that, life is going to be very hard for you