Did an authentic photo show former President Donald Trump wading through hurricane flood waters? No, that's not true: An AI-detection tool from True Media found substantial evidence that the image was generated with AI. Media coverage of Trump's visit to Valdosta, Georgia, on the same day the post was made does not show him wearing the same clothes as in the image and no such event was reported by any news sources.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on September 30, 2024. It said:
I don't think FB wants this picture on FB. They have been deleting it.
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Tue Oct 1 17:08:12 2024 UTC)
AI-detection tool True Media found substantial evidence that the image was generated with the help of AI, with 99 percent confidence:
(Source: truemedia.org screenshot taken on Tue Oct 1 16:08:46 2024 UTC)
A reverse image search (archived here) did not bring up results from reliable sources. A search of Google News (archived here) also did not bring up results.
Although the post did not specify a location or date, the timing of the post in the days following widespread flooding and damage in the Southeast implied that the scene was supposedly in areas battered by Hurricane Helene.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene devastation, Trump visited Valdosta, Georgia, on September 30, 2024, the same day the post with the AI-generated image was made to Facebook. A Google News search (archived here) of that visit does not show him wearing a reddish orange life vest, deep blue shirt and jeans without his signature red hat wading through flood waters that day as observed in the post.
Additional Lead Stories fact checks concerning former President Donald Trump can be found here. Additional Lead Stories fact checks concerning Hurricane Helene can be found here. Fact checks about the U.S. presidential election are here.
