Fact Check: Photo of Trump with Ear Bandaged Was Digitally Altered to Make Him Appear Older
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Claim:
A photograph authentically shows former U.S. President Trump with his ear bandaged.
Rating:
On July 22, 2024, a photograph posted to X (archived) allegedly showed former U.S. President Trump with his right ear bandaged. "Is it just me or is Trump looking very old?" one X user captioned the image, reaching more than 183,000 views as of this writing.
Is it just me or is Trump looking very old? pic.twitter.com/vSFoXN5vIZ
— Trumpton (@Trump_ton) July 22, 2024
"Suddenly age is an issue, but it wasn't a couple of days ago," one user commented, while another asked, "Is it just me or did you doctor that photo?"
In short, because the photograph was digitally edited to alter Trump's skin color and make him look older, we have rated this claim as "Fake."
TinEye reverse-image search results showed the photograph had been digitally manipulated:
(TinEye)
The original photograph was available on Alamy.com, a stock image website:
(alamy.com)
The photograph's caption read:
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump watches during the Republican National Convention, Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Below you can see a similar photograph of Trump captured on July 25, 2024, we accessed via Getty Images.
(Getty Images)
We recently debunked a similar photograph allegedly showing Trump's profile with a massive double chin.
Sources:
Ibrahim, Nur. "This Is Not a Real Photograph of Trump's 'Double Chin.'" Snopes, 20 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/trump-fake-double-chin/.
Limited, Alamy. Republican Presidential Candidate Former President Donald Trump Watches during the Republican National Convention, Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast Stock Photo - Alamy. https://www.alamy.com/republican-presidential-candidate-former-president-donald-trump-watches-during-the-republican-national-convention-monday-july-15-2024-in-milwaukee-ap-photocharles-rex-arbogast-image613355060.html. Accessed 23 July 2024.
"Republican Presidential Candidate, Former U.S. President Donald Trump..." Getty Images, 16 July 2024, https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/republican-presidential-candidate-former-u-s-president-news-photo/2162184709.
