Donald Trump didn't spare any feelings recently when, during a campaign event, he indirectly referred to political rival Chris Christie as a "fat pig."
The former president seemingly feigned disapproval of the label during a campaign event in New Hampshire earlier this month, leading Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, to challenge Trump to call him that to his face.
However, after Trump was visited by far-right activist and supporter Laura Loomer at the weekend, a photo began circulating on social media that suggested the former president was not in the healthiest shape either.
The Claim
A post on X, formerly Twitter, by podcast host @Jesse_Brenneman, on August 15, 2023, viewed 574,000 times, showed a photo of what looked like Donald Trump speaking to Laura Loomer. One comment underneath the photo said he looked "gigantic".
The tweet read "Trump looks like he's giving Laura Loomer a side quest to rescue his frog son from the pond."
Trump looks like he’s giving Laura Loomer a side quest to rescue his frog son from the pond. pic.twitter.com/AidC5NItC7
— Jesse Brenneman (@Jesse_Brenneman) August 15, 2023
The photo was also posted on subreddit r/WhitePeopleTwitter.
The Facts
Laura Loomer did visit Trump's Bedminster golf course over the weekend, covered by media outlets including Fox News. However, the accuracy of the "gigantic" photo ends with its depiction of the pair standing together.
The original photo was posted on August 14, 2023, from Loomer's X account along with several other pictures. Loomer posted "Today was the best day of my life. I got to spend the entire day with the greatest President our country has ever had: DONALD J TRUMP!"
Today was the best day of my life. I got to spend the entire day with the greatest President our country has ever had: DONALD J TRUMP!
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) August 13, 2023
President Donald Trump is the most down to earth and amazing person ever. He is the best host. He is hilarious and he is also very generous and… https://t.co/JEa5YaeTmw pic.twitter.com/VXNUyFD3ZE
The altered image was shared online shortly thereafter.
Looking closely, the "gigantic" image appears to have been created using AI. The details in the background are muddy and unfocused, Loomer's right-hand side appears completely flat, and Trump has what looks like a chunk of his body missing between his waist and his hips.
Other photos from the same day also showed Trump was wearing dark suit trousers, not cargo shorts.
To Brenneman's credit, he later posted the original photo with the follow-up: "This is photoshopped but looking at the original I stand by my assessment." However, that post did not state where the original image came from.
It is not the first time that Trump has been the target of cruel photo editing.
In June, another manipulated picture also originally taken at his Bedminster golf course, went viral on social media. Another photo, shared in July, was manipulated to make it appear he needed support to stand up.
The Ruling
False.
The photo posted on social media of a "gigantic" Trump is not real. The image appears to have been manipulated by A.I. The original photo was published on August 14, 2023, by Laura Loomer at Trump's Bedminster golf course in New Jersey.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
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