Trump Appears to Post Fake Image of Himself as a Star NFL Player

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump posted what appears to be an AI-generated image of himself as a star NFL player on Truth Social on October 21.

While in Pennsylvania yesterday, the former president not only hosted a campaign rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and served French fries at a McDonald's in Bucks County, but he also attended a Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Jets football game.

After arriving halfway through the first quarter, the former president was welcomed by Trump Steelers fans who the former president thanked on Truth Social and he wrote, "Thank you to the Steelers fans for the great reception tonight. November 5th will be the most important day in the history of our Country! MAGA2024!!!"

Verified photos of the former president at the football game on Sunday night show him in a suite at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, wearing a blue suit and a red tie.

However, the image posted on Truth Social depicts Trump on a football field wearing a jersey for the Pittsburgh Steelers — there is no evidence this ever occurred.

Trump's torso and arms also appear to have been altered to appear more muscular than they do in other photos and videos of Trump in sportswear, such as those posted by Trump Golf's Instagram account in July.

According to an image detector search through "Is It AI?" the photo is 81 percent likely to be constructed by AI.

Another AI image detector site, AIimagedetector.org, also concluded that the picture was likely AI-generated, stating the picture is approximately 30 percent human and nearly 70 percent AI-generated.

Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign for comment via email outside of business hours, as well as to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends a Steelers vs. Jets football game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 20. Trump posted a photo of himself as a Steelers player on his Truth Social account, which is... Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends a Steelers vs. Jets football game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 20. Trump posted a photo of himself as a Steelers player on his Truth Social account, which is likely AI-generated. More Evan Vucci/Associated Press

This is not the first time Trump has posted what appear to be digitally altered photos of himself on social media. In August, he posted a photo of himself and various allies in what appeared to be photoshopped superhero outfits.

In 2023, he shared a widely circulated photo of himself kneeling on the ground praying which was determined to be most likely AI-generated, according to Forbes.

Trump also has posted AI-generated pictures of his detractors. In August, he shared fake images suggesting Taylor Swift had endorsed him and an AI-made photo of Kamala Harris speaking in Chicago with a communist flag in it.

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