Fact check: Altered image of Donald Trump at golf tournament adds fat, wrinkles

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·2 min read

The claim: Image shows Donald Trump with a double chin and deep wrinkles

Former President Donald Trump's health was a frequent topic of discussion while he was in office.

Dr. Sean Conley, the White House physician, said Trump was in "very good health" after a 2019 medical evaluation. During an examination a year earlier, Trump was recorded to be six feet three inches tall and 239 pounds, which is medically considered overweight and on the verge of obesity, USA TODAY reported.

Trump's health became a point of interest again after a purported photo of him circulated widely on Facebook. In the image, Trump is wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat outside with a pronounced double chin and deep facial wrinkles.

"The first pic of Trump after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago," reads the caption of the Aug. 10 post.

A similar version on Facebook garnered more than 1,800 likes and hundreds of shares in a day before the caption was edited. Other iterations have been shared on Twitter.

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But the image has been digitally altered. The original photo was captured by an Associated Press photographer and shows Trump with a single chin, shallower wrinkles and a thinner face.

A day after the most widespread Facebook post was shared, the caption was edited to point out the image was altered. USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the claim for comment.

Former President Donald Trump at the LIV Invitational Pro-Am on July 28, 2022, on his golf resort in Bedmister, N.J.
Former President Donald Trump at the LIV Invitational Pro-Am on July 28, 2022, on his golf resort in Bedmister, N.J.

Image was digitally altered

The original photo of Trump was captured at the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, NJ. It was taken by AP photographer Seth Wenig on July 28 and shows Trump walking outside on the golf course. Though he looks flushed, the extra fat around his face and enhanced wrinkles are not present.

Fact check: Bruce Reinhart, who approved FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, was not appointed by Trump

The original photo was included in articles published by USA TODAY and AP.

Wenig captured numerous other photos of Trump throughout the course of the tournament, none of which show him with a double chin or extra wrinkles.

Our rating: Altered

Based on our research, we rate ALTERED an image purporting to show Trump with a double chin and deep wrinkles. The original photo was captured by an AP photographer and shows Trump without the extra fat and deep wrinkles on his face.

Our fact-check sources:

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Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Altered photo exaggerates Donald Trump's weight

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