FACT CHECK: Viral Image Showing Biden Wearing ‘MAGA’ Hat During Trump Meeting Is AI-Generated
A viral image shared on Instagram purports to show President Joe Biden wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat during an Oval Office meeting with President-elect Donald Trump.
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Verdict: False
A content detection scan using the website “Hive Moderation” reveals the image is 99.2% likely to have been generated with artificial intelligence (AI). In addition, a media forensics and AI expert denied the image’s authenticity in an email to Check Your Fact.
Fact Check:
Biden and Trump met Wednesday inside the Oval Office to discuss a peaceful transfer of power, according to NBC News. Biden told Trump he looked forward to having a “smooth transition” during the meeting, The Associated Press reported.
The Instagram image, which has received over 8,000 likes as of writing, purports to show Biden wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat during an Oval Office meeting with Trump.
“#PresidentTrump just left the #WhiteHouse where he met with #PresidentBiden for an hour an a half. Do you think #DonaldTrump gave #JoeBiden a signed #magahat? Maybe that’s why Joe was all smiles today #comeonman,” the image’s caption reads.
In the image, Biden appears to be smiling while sitting next to Trump. Both men are wearing suits, and Biden appears to be sporting a red “Make America Great Again” hat and a red tie.
The claim is false. A content detection scan using the website “Hive Moderation” reveals the image is 99.2% likely to have been AI-generated. Check Your Fact reviewed the image, and one indication that the image is fake is the American flag featured on the side of Biden’s hat, as it does not bear the correct number of stripes.
Screenshot captured via Hive Moderation
Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find the image referenced in any credible news reports about a recent Oval Office meeting between Biden and Trump. Actually, the opposite is true. On Nov. 14, Lead Stories labeled the image as AI-generated. In addition, neither Biden nor Trump have publicly commented on the claim.
Furthermore, Dr. Walter Scheirer, a media forensics and AI expert at the University of Notre Dame, denied the image’s authenticity in an email to Check Your Fact.
“This image is probably the output of a generative AI system. The MAGA hat Biden is wearing is of poor quality relative to the rest of the image. Importantly, the flag on the side of the hat does not show the correct number of stripes for an American flag,” Scheirer said.
