FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show People Praying Over A Golden Statue Of Donald Trump?

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows people praying over a golden statue of former President Donald Trump.

Verdict: False

The picture has been photoshopped to include the golden Trump statue. Images show the people were actually praying with Trump himself in January 2020.

Fact Check:

The annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) took place in Orlando, Florida, over the weekend. Present at the conference was a golden statue of Trump that was created by artist Tommy Zegan, according to The New York Times. (RELATED: Did Joe Biden Sign 52 Executive Orders In One Week?)

The Facebook post claims to show a photo of people praying over the golden Trump statue that appeared at CPAC. In the caption, the user remarked, “LITERALLY praying to the Golden Calf,” a reference to the golden calf idol in the Old Testament.

However, Check Your Fact conducted a reverse image search and found that the statue has been edited into the picture. Images published by the Associated Press, Getty Images and Fox Business instead show the individuals praying over the former president at an “Evangelicals for Trump” event held in Miami in early January 2020.

Another picture taken from a slightly different angle that was published in Politico depicts faith leaders praying over the then-president, not a golden representation of him. Media outlets such as The New York Times and Axios also published stories that contain similar photos showing Trump being prayed over.

Social media users have shared digitally-altered images of politicians in the past. Check Your Fact recently debunked a photo allegedly showing former First Lady Michelle Obama wearing a “MIKE” necklace at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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