No, Rand Paul did not come to Capitol in robe; image is AI-generated | Fact check

Nate Trela, USA TODAY
·3 min read
1
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

The claim: Image shows Rand Paul in a bathrobe at the Capitol after dress code changes

A Sept. 23 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a screenshot of a post on X, formerly Twitter, that includes an image of Sen. Rand Paul sitting barefoot in a red bathrobe on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

"Breaking: Senator Rand Paul showed up to work at the Capitol barefoot wearing a red bathrobe after the Senate changed the dress code to accommodate for (sic) John Fetterman," reads text included in the post.

The post was shared more than 100 times in three days.

Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

Our rating: Altered

The image was created with AI and originally shared as satire.

Satirical take on dress code changes spreads quickly

The image of Paul, a Kentucky Republican, in a bathrobe was attributed by multiple social media users to the account of Jeff Charles, a commentator and podcast host.

Charles posted the image to X on Sept. 22, writing “BREAKING: Sen. Rand Paul shows up to work at the Capitol barefoot in a red bathrobe after Senate dress code change.”

The post came after Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the Senate would no longer enforce a formal dress code, a move many saw as accommodating the gym shorts and hoodies preferred by Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat.

Charles' bio on his X account states that all his posts that use the term "BREAKING" are satirical. He told PolitiFact the image was created using AI.

Fact check: Image of NYC 'Glory to Urine' billboard was digitally created, not real

Charles’s X account has shared multiple images depicting senators in less-than-formal attire, all with the word "BREAKING" in all caps in the posts.

While several senators have joked about wearing casual attire on the floor since Schumer’s announcement, there are no credible reports of any following through.

Other AI-generated images of Republican senators from Charles' account include Marco Rubio of Florida dressed as a bunny, Mike Lee of Utah in colonial attire with a musket and Josh Hawley of Missouri as a unicorn. He also shared images of Democratic senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in Native American attire and Cory Booker of New Jersey in “booty shorts.”

The Instagram post sharing the image of Paul is an example of what could be called "stolen satire," where content created as satire and presented that way is captured and reposted in a way that makes it appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled, as was the case here.

USA TODAY could not reach the Instagram user who shared the claim for comment.

Lead Stories also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Image of Rand Paul at Capitol in bathrobe is AI | Fact check