President Trump Posts Doctored Image of Obamas on Social Media

On Sunday, President Donald Trump shared a falsified image depicting former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama. The image showed the Obamas waving before boarding an Air Force One plane covered in graffiti, including their campaign slogan “Yes We Can,” “Obama,” and “BLM” for Black Lives Matter. Additionally, there was a message in Arabic on the plane reading “alhamdulillah,” which translates to “praise be to God.”

This post emerged months after another one by Trump, portraying the Obamas as primates, was removed following significant bipartisan backlash. Trump has a history of heavily criticizing the Obamas, along with using controversial and sometimes racist rhetoric. This narrative includes emboldening falsehoods about Obama’s birthplace and offensive generalizations about predominantly Black countries.

The doctored image coincided with Trump’s maiden flight on a newly customized Air Force One. The aircraft, a gift from Qatar, valued at $400 million, underwent a redesign from its signature light blue to Trump’s preferred navy-blue with red and gold stripes. After delivering a speech on Independence Day in Washington, Trump spent Sunday at his golf club. He has scheduled a trip to Turkey on Monday for a NATO summit. The White House and the Obamas have not yet commented on the post.

In recent weeks, Trump shared another doctored image of Obama’s presidential library, making it appear to have a large trash bag on it and surrounded by a desolate environment. He has criticized the Obama library publicly and reiterated his stance on social media. The latest post was part of multiple updates from Trump on his Truth Social platform, including an image involving Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. His claim that Meloni asked repeatedly for a photograph at the Group of Seven summit led to protests from Italian officials and the cancellation of a planned diplomatic visit to Washington.