Trump Faces Scrutiny For Sharing Fake Photo Of The Obamas

Donald Trump shared a digitally altered image on Truth Social July 5, falsely depicting former President Barack and former first lady Michelle Obama waving before boarding an Air Force One covered in graffiti, prompting renewed scrutiny of the president’s use of manipulated images targeting his political predecessor, PBS News reports. The White House and representatives for the Obamas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The altered image showed the former first couple standing beside a presidential aircraft featuring fake graffiti that included “Yes We Can,” Obama’s 2008 campaign slogan, “Obama,” “BLM,” an abbreviation for Black Lives Matter, and the Arabic phrase “alhamdulillah,” meaning “praise be to God.”

Civil rights advocates have previously said imagery linking graffiti to Black public figures has been used to invoke racial stereotypes.

President Donald Trump on Sunday posted a falsified image of former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, waving before boarding an Air Force One that had been spray-painted with graffiti. https://t.co/Nqdo5Xtpan

— PBS News (@NewsHour) July 6, 2026

The social media post is the latest in a series of manipulated images Trump shared involving Obama. In February 2026, during Black History Month, Trump’s account posted an altered image portraying Barack and Michelle Obama as primates in a jungle. The image was later removed after bipartisan criticism from Republican lawmakers and civil rights organizations. Trump declined to apologize, and a staff member was later blamed for publishing the post.

The latest post came days after Trump made his first trip aboard a retrofitted Boeing 747-800, valued at approximately $400 million and provided by Qatar for presidential use. The aircraft replaces Air Force One’s traditional light-blue exterior with Trump’s preferred navy, red, and gold color scheme.

Trump also shared another digitally altered image in June depicting Obama’s presidential library in Chicago surrounded by what appeared to be garbage. In the accompanying post, Trump wrote, “The Obama Library ten years from now will be a ‘Mecca’ for those who hate America! President DJT.”

Trump has repeatedly targeted the Obamas throughout his political career, including promoting the false claim that the former president was not born in the United States, a conspiracy theory that has been widely debunked.

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