A viral video shared on Threads purports to show 2024 Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump eating a carton of fries during a recent visit to McDonald’s.

 

Post by @hilmatthews

View on Threads

 

Verdict: False

The video has been generated with artificial intelligence (AI), according to Reuters, who performed a scan using the website “TrueMedia.org.” A media forensics and AI expert denied the video’s authenticity in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

McDonald’s said it “does not endorse candidates for elected office” in a statement following Trump’s visit, according to CNBC. The popular fast food restaurant chain also said it is not a “political brand,” the outlet reported.

The Threads video, which has received over 1,000 likes as of writing, purports to show Trump eating a carton of fries during a recent visit to McDonald’s. In the video, Trump can be seen wearing an apron and standing next to the fry station while appearing to eat the carton of fries.

“Plus we now hear money was missing from McDonalds cash register,” the video’s caption reads.

The claim is false. The former Republican President has not referenced the claim on his 2024 campaign website, his TRUTH Social account, or his verified social media accounts.

Likewise, there is no mention of Trump eating a carton of fries in an Oct. 20 article from The Associated Press detailing his visit to a McDonald’s in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania that same day. The outlet did mention that Trump made fries and held a press conference from the McDonald’s drive-through window, however.

In addition, articles from USA Today, The Hill, CNN, and local outlet FOX 29 News Philadelphia also do not mention anything about Trump eating a carton of fries during his visit to the Feasterville-Trevose-based McDonald’s.

Furthermore, on Oct. 24, Reuters debunked the claim, reporting the video had been AI-generated. The outlet determined the video had been “manipulated” from actual photos of Trump’s visit to McDonald’s using the website “TrueMedia.org.” Check Your Fact also attempted to perform a scan via TrueMedia.org but received an error message indicating the website does not support content from Threads. (RELATED: Have McDonald’s Stocks Skyrocketed 200% Following Trump’s Visit?)

Dr. Walter Scheirer, a media forensics and AI expert from the University of Notre Dame, denied the video’s authenticity in an email to Check Your Fact.

“This is a rather poor quality synthesized video from a generative AI algorithm. Trump’s hand and the french fry container are highly distorted throughout the video, fading in and out and exhibiting unnatural geometries. The french fries defy the laws of physics by being suspended in the air as Trump eats them. These are common artifacts associated with this form of algorithmic video synthesis. This video is more along the lines of a humorous parody than a serious attempt at fooling the public,” Scheirer said.