The claim: A photo shows Trump in floodwaters post-Hurricane Helene

A Facebook post from September 30 (direct link, archive link) claims to show former President Donald Trump walking through a flooded street, wearing an orange life vest.

The caption of the post states, “I don’t think FB wants this picture on FB. They have been deleting it.”

The image was shared over 160,000 times within two days and also appeared on Instagram.

Our assessment: Altered

Experts, along with an AI-detection tool, confirmed that the image is generated by artificial intelligence. There are no records of Trump actually wading through floodwaters following Hurricane Helene.

Image of Trump in floodwaters is AI-generated

On September 30, Trump surveyed the damage caused by Hurricane Helene in Georgia and interacted with residents affected by the Category 4 hurricane, which tragically resulted in at least 180 deaths and left nearly a million homes and businesses without power.

However, the image that surfaced on the same day showing Trump in a flooded street is fabricated.

Walter Scheirer, an engineering professor at the University of Notre Dame, explained to YSL News that the image likely comes from an “AI generative algorithm.”

“A clear indication is that both individuals’ clothing looks dry,” Scheirer pointed out. “If they were truly wading through water, they would be wet, as illustrated by numerous authentic photographs from the hurricane. Additionally, this rendering lacks quality, showing visible unnatural elements around the splashes and the hood of a truck at the back.”

James O’Brien, a computer science professor from the University of California, Berkeley, also confirmed the image is artificially generated. He highlighted several discrepancies in Trump’s appearance in the image, such as the life jacket strap appearing to cross over the right side of his face and a smudged appearance of his face.

“I suspect that Trump’s face was superimposed onto another image, and the software used made blending errors on the edges,” O’Brien stated.

The image exhibits further signs of digital manipulation, including Trump and the individual next to him appearing to have only four fingers on each hand, along with the text on their hats and life jackets being unreadable. AI generators frequently struggle with creating realistic hands and readable text.

Hive Moderation’s AI-detection tool indicated a 99.9% probability that the image was generated by AI.

No credible reports indicate that Trump waded through floodwaters during his visit to Georgia. Authentic images from his visit show him in a black suit and red tie, contrasting with the blue long-sleeve shirt depicted in the viral image.

YSL News contacted the individual who shared the post for a comment, but did not receive a response right away.

Lead Stories and PolitiFact have also refuted this claim.

Our fact-check sources:

• YSL News, Sept. 30, Trump inspects Hurricane Helene damage in Georgia, incorrectly claims Biden and Kemp haven’t communicated
• Walter Scheirer, Oct. 2, Email exchange with YSL News
• James O’Brien, Oct. 2, Email exchange with YSL News
• Hive Moderation, accessed Oct. 2, AI-Generated Content Detection