FACT CHECK: Viral Image Claims To Show Donald Trump Shaking Hands With Osama bin Laden

Jonathan Fonti | Fact Check Reporter

An image shared on Facebook more than 3,500 times purportedly shows President Donald Trump shaking hands with former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Overlaying the picture is a quote attributed to Trump.

Verdict: False

This image is a doctored version of a 1987 photo of Trump greeting publisher Samuel Irving Newhouse Jr. There is no evidence Trump made the comment attributed to him.

Fact Check: 

The viral image purportedly shows a younger Trump shaking hands with bin Laden. The bottom of the image includes a quote, allegedly from Trump, that says, “I knew Osama Bin Laden. People loved him. He was a great man that died for a worthy cause.” (RELATED: Did Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama And Condoleezza Rice Pose For Photos With Osama bin Laden?)

Through a reverse image search, the Daily Caller discovered that the image has been digitally manipulated. The original photo, taken in December 1987, actually shows Trump greeting Newhouse at a party in Trump Tower, according to the Getty Images caption. In the manipulated image, Trump’s head has been superimposed onto Newhouse’s, and bin Laden’s has been superimposed onto Trump’s.

The comment attributed to Trump doesn’t hold up either. An internet search by the Caller didn’t yield any media outlets attributing it to him, only other fact-checkers debunking it. Nor has Trump ever tweeted it from his verified Twitter accounts.

Check Your Fact has previously debunked images claiming to show politicians such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice posing with bin Laden.

Jonathan Fonti

Fact Check Reporter
Follow Jonathan on Twitter Have a fact check suggestion? Send ideas to [email protected].

Trending